


His Lost Disciple

by tigerseye46



Series: His Lost Love [2]
Category: LEGO Monkie Kid
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Immortality, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Pining, Reincarnation, Tang is Tripitaka
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:53:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 22,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28489359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tigerseye46/pseuds/tigerseye46
Summary: Reverse au where Pigsy reincarnated instead of Tripitaka.  Reverse au of my fic "His Lost Master." (Full summary inside)
Relationships: Pigsy/Tang, Pigsy/Tripitaka
Series: His Lost Love [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2085942
Comments: 18
Kudos: 25





	1. Too Many Reminders

**Author's Note:**

> Tripitaka tried for years to get over the loss of two of his disciples. Wukong’s disappearance broke them all, he locked himself in his room to cope with the pain, Sandy raged while his Bajie, the keeper of his heart, attempted to pick up the pieces of their broken family but it never worked. Tripitaka was too broken to appreciate Bajie’s efforts and Bajie became increasingly disheartened then he stopped showing up, leaving Tripitaka to go find him until he found a letter saying he couldn’t compete with his master’s “favorite” and that his efforts to fix everything were in vain so he chose to reincarnate to find more happiness in the next life. Tripitaka almost did the same thing until he realized he would be leaving Sandy behind so he stayed even as they grew apart. Tripitaka wanted to find him but each attempt left him heartbroken so he stopped. Instead what he did was spread stories of their journey so people would remember Bajie and Wukong. He changed identities every now and then until he settled on his new identity, Tang. Eventually he met Pigsy, so similar to his Bajie that he had to remind himself that he was not the same. He hung with Pigsy anyway, he was fun to tease and talk to. Them having a similar name and personality was probably a coincidence anyhow. Then Pigsy hired MK, one of the few people who ever wanted to hear his stories and was actually excited. Next thing he knew the kid became Wukong’s successor, this left Tang relieved, he knew Wukong was okay but only if he could say the same for Bajie. Sometimes it hurt to be near Pigsy, the resemblance was sometimes too much to bear yet he stayed and tried not to fall for someone that reminded him so much of his lost love.

It was a beautiful day in their beautiful city as Tripitaka- _cough_ Tang told MK, or Qi Xiaotian the name he was called before MK, another story involving his old disciple, the Monkey King. This story happened to be about Monkey King’s fight with DBK, a story he considered rather bittersweet. While he felt proud that his disciple managed to beat DBK and it brought prosperity, he disappeared shortly afterward so telling the story made Tang feel crushed. At least Xiaotian was invested, that boy loved listening to these stories as much as Tang loved telling them. These stories were a way to honor his disciples, the only way he knew how. 

He listened to him ramble on about the Monkey King as he picked up a drawing of Xiaotian’s, the kid was quite talented when it came to art. Tang went in the middle of Xiaotian’s rant as he remarked, “It’s nice to know someone is taking in all these stories. Pearls of wisdom dripping from my lips.” He cleared his throat and asked the boy to give him his free bowl of noodles as part of their arrangement. The boy attempted to hand him a bowl of noodles when Pigsy managed to snatch the noodles away before he could eat them. He yelled at the kid for trying to give a free bowl away and Tang for being a freeloader, his temper terrified Tang sometimes. Pigsy kicked him out of the shop to take care of orders while Tang grabbed the noodles and began eating. He made a little noise that attracted Pigsy’s attention who grabbed a wooden spoon to chase him around the shop.

“You get back here, you cowards!” Pigsy screamed.

“No, Pigsy!” He ran around the shop, clutching the bowl of noodles in his hands.

“I want my money!” Pigsy chased after him, they both heard MK take off in his vehicle.

“I’ll pay you back!”

“You always say that!”

“I promise I will! One day.” He smiled sheepishly. Pigsy glared at him as he got a ping on his phone signifying he was getting an order. Pigsy scoffed and went behind the counter to start working on the order. Tang let out a breath of relief and sat back on his regular seat, slurping the noodles he had, occasionally receiving a glare.

A couple minutes passed by as he finished his first bowl. He glanced at Pigsy and said, “He really loves those stories, huh?” Tang grabbed Qi Xiaotian’s journal and held it out for Pigsy to put away for safekeeping.

Pigsy rolled his eyes, rested his arms on the counter and replied, “A little too much. Kid is too distracted by those stories to focus on his job. You distract him.” He took the journal and placed it under a couple bowls.

“Not my fault he always asks me for a story. It makes him happy, nothing wrong with that.”

“Tch, when it affects my business, it’s a problem. How’d you even hear about those stories anyway or how’d you start likin’ them?”

I lived through them, Tang wanted to say but he refrained. “As a kid, I always loved reading, spent a lot of time reading then one day an elder in my home told stories about the journey to the west and handed me the book. It was long but I was invested, the stories were cool. A monkey with mystical powers, two celestial warriors and a dragon assisting a monk get the scriptures to spread Buddhism while seeking redemption for themselves. I was invested and so I researched everything I could about the monkey king and the others,” he lied.

Pigsy seemed convinced and nodded. “Not into those legends like you or the kid but I liked the pig in those stories, kinda,” He stated and turned around to stir the pot.

Tang froze at the mention of Bajie and dug under his clothes for a necklace. The chain was silver with a pendant of a jade pig, the pig had a little heart carved into it. He fiddled with it. A few seconds in silence went by, he realized Pigsy might get suspicious so he commented, “Oh yes, him… Zhu Bajie, his nickname was Pigsy, reminds me of you a little bit.” 

“Yea, but that’s all we have in common, both bein’ pig demons and goin’ by Pigsy. I’m nothin’ like him. I’m not a coward like him.”

Tang bit his lip. “A coward? Bajie did run away a lot but he always managed to help out in the end.”

“He always put his master in danger tryin’ to upstage that no good-” Pigsy blinked. “That monkey. He did a lot of things that put them in danger, things that put his dear lov- his master in trouble,” he grumbled.

Tang tilted his head, he wondered why Pigsy cut himself off twice. “He did help fix it, no matter what danger he put them in, he helped and helped even when he wasn’t the one who caused the trouble. He wasn’t perfect but he tried and he did have a rather sweet side to him. A more romantic side like when he would flirt with women.” He clenched the pendant, it always filled him with envy when Bajie flirted with pretty women. “He cared for the group in his own way and was quite strong,” he mentioned passionately. 

“Tch, not like it matters. It’s all just stories anyway, they aren’t real,” Pigsy replied nonchalantly and continued to stir.

Tears welled up in Tang’s eyes. Sometimes he forgot that people only saw these as just fictional stories. He always wanted to berate the people who dismissed them but at least he knew they were real, having lived through it. He hated people thinking his disciples were just characters, including his Bajie. His Bajie was as real as could be and he missed him, he missed all his disciples. “Yes, they are just stories.” He put the necklace back under his clothing and wiped his tears. He grabbed another bowl of noodles and moved to a table.

Pigsy finally turned around to Tang. “Why’d you move?” 

“Just felt like sitting here.” He shrugged. 

Pigsy rolled his eyes and went back to his cooking. “You better pay for that.”

Tang smiled. “I will, one day.” He heard Pigsy grumble a little as Tang ate. He thought about his disciples. It had been so long since the Monkey King’s disappeared, his first disciple was never coming back no matter how much he wished nor was his second. Sandy was the only one left but he hadn’t seen Sandy in a long while and the dragon horse ended up having his own descendants, one of which was Mei. 

Last he saw of Sandy was years after Bajie left them. Bajie worked hard to pick up the pieces of their family yet it didn’t work. He wished he could have told Bajie that he appreciated everything he had done but he was too overcome with grief to say anything. That ended up being his biggest mistake, Bajie left and reincarnated, he said he couldn’t handle it any longer and Tang couldn’t blame him.

He glanced at Pigsy, Pigsy was so similar to Wuneng that Tang nearly wept and he had to remind himself that that was not his Bajie. The only thing he had left of his disciples was a few small things including his necklace and the stories he told. The stories were what he was using to keep their memories alive, he wanted to, he needed to share their stories so people would remember them. They were the only thing he had to offer, he thought as he continued to eat, occasionally taking another bowl while Pigsy wasn’t looking. They were the only thing he had to offer, he repeated to himself.

* * *

Tang couldn’t believe it, Xiaotian had acquired Wukong’s staff. When the boy came in yelling about the Demon Bull King being free, he thought it was some daydream he concocted. Tang reassured him that it was just a story then the boy took out a staff he claimed to be his lost disciple’s, again he didn’t believe him. When Xiaotian accidentally split a table in two with the staff, he knew he was telling the truth. Excitement overtook him then fear, were they really finding a way to go to Flower Fruit Mountain? How did they even know he would be there? It was the monkey’s home but last Erlang and his two disciples checked, they couldn’t find him. Maybe he returned there?

He tried to dissuade Xiaotian by informing him how the mountains were hidden in perilous territory but Pigsy cut him off, saying how he knew someone that could take them there. He wasn’t ready. **He wasn’t ready.** Would he have to face his disciple? Would he even recognize him? What would he tell him? Should he yell at Wukong for disappearing? How are they so sure he’ll be there? These thoughts raced through his head. He knew it was selfish to try to convince the others to turn back but he couldn’t go through with this. 

It got even worse when Pigsy told them the name of “the most rage filled warrior he had ever known,” Sandy. He freaked out all over again, Sandy… the name of his third disciple. The way Pigsy described him sounded exactly like the Sandy he knew. Maybe it was another coincidence, yea, that’s it. There was no evidence that this was the Sandy he knew.

Pigsy’s friend Sandy was calmer than Wujing and had the same kindness. Sandy admitted that he was controlling his anger after his therapist told him to. As Sandy recounted the things he had been doing to manage his anger, Tang felt pride swell up in him, his disciple was doing so well- wait, not his disciple. Sandy was not the same Sandy he knew so long ago, he had to remind himself but pride swelled in him nonetheless. Sandy agreed to take them to Flower Fruit Mountain and then they were off.

Much to Pigsy’s frustration, it was agreed that Sandy and Tang would stay at the boat. Someone needed to have the boat ready when they returned and it was Sandy’s boat, it made sense for him to stay. Tang insisted he wouldn’t be much help, Pigsy tried to force him to go but eventually he gave up, thankfully. He was scared to face Wukong again. The two bid the group farewell. Tang faced Sandy and asked, “So… Sandy, how did you meet Pigsy?”

“Hm? Oh! Back when I used to pick fights, I stopped at a village where I asked people to arm wrestle me, Pigsy was visiting the village and took up my challenge. He lost but he promised to buy me something for my win and we started hanging out, throwing fish and getting into fights.”

“I see, sounds like you had fun together.” 

“Yea, I used to be quite angry then. Pigsy made for great company, he always made me laugh and his cooking cheered me up.” Sandy poured two cups of tea and passed one to Tang who nodded in thanks.

“I agree, Pigsy is great to hang out with, his cooking is some of the best I’ve had. If you don’t mind me asking, Sandy, what made you so angry enough to pick fights from village to village?” He sipped the tea awkwardly, ignoring the meows of the cats in the background.

He saw Sandy freeze, he was about to apologize when Sandy said, “I lost two people close to me… anger was how I dealt with it…”

“Ah! I’m sorry to bring that up and for the loss of those two people.”

“It’s fine! My therapist taught me that anger wasn’t the right way to handle it so I’m doing much better now, like I said earlier.” 

Pride swelled up in Tang again. He forgot to remind himself that this was not Wujing. “At least you are doing well. I’m proud of you Wujing.” He heard the tea cup shatter. Tang stared at the shattered teacup then at Sandy. “Are you okay?” He asked in a concerned tone.

“You called me Wujing.” Tears threatened to fall from Sandy’s eyes as Tang’s own eyes widened.

“Ah! Did I? Sorry I didn’t mean to call you that. I don’t even know where that name came from.” He rubbed the back of his neck.

“It’s okay. I better clean this up….” Sandy grabbed a dustpan and sweeped the shards of porcelain. He went inside to dump the shards into a garbage bag and walked back out. “Sorry about that, didn’t mean to react so strongly.”

“Not your fault. Didn’t know you would react so strongly to the name “Wujing.’” 

“Yea… it’s such a silly thing to react strongly too.” He laughed nervously.

Tang laughed along and suddenly a thought flashed across his mind. If he reacted so strongly to that name then what if he actually was Sandy? It was a ridiculous idea but why did he react so strongly to that name? So he decided to test something. “I don’t think it’s that silly at all. Sorry again for making you drop your cup. You just remind me of someone. Someone I knew long ago…”

“Really? Who do I remind you of?”

Tang took a deep breath. “Someone by the name of Sha Wujing, you look so similar even though you act differently.” Sandy’s eyes scanned him while he focused his own eyes on his cup and drank, a few minutes passed to where the tea had gotten cold.

“Sha Wujing? I- I used to go by that name. No one has called me that in years, not since-” Sandy shook his head. “It was so long ago…”

Tang gasped and quickly looked up at Sandy. He put the cup aside and happy tears rolled down his face. This was Wujing, he basically confirmed it. “It is you Wujing! I knew it!”

“Huh? Do I know you? You say you knew me but I don’t know you.”

“Yes you do!” He was ecstatic and reached under the clothes for his necklace, he pulled it out. “Remember this? It’s me Tripitaka!”

“That looks like the same necklace that second brother gave master after he- master?” Sandy questioned. “How do I know if you’re him? It could be any old necklace.”

Tang sighed, Sandy was right. No matter how important the necklace was, it wasn’t enough proof to convince Sandy. Tang decided to repeat the heart sutra, surely that was proof enough, he glowed slightly as he repeated it. Sandy stared at him in awe and he stopped repeating it. “Do you believe me now?”

Sandy stayed silent as he picked up Tang suddenly, giving him a bone crushing hug, rocking him side to side. Tang put his arms around the fish’s neck. “Master! I missed you!” The fish pulled him away from the hug, still holding his master to get a good look. The master could see tears threatening to spill while he himself felt tears run down his face. “You look so different!”

Tang giggled. “I could say the same to you! I am so proud! You’ve grown so much since I last saw you. You seem calmer, happier. I know I didn’t help much with that…” He muttered.

Sandy let him down gently and replied, “Master, you were- are great. You helped make me into the person I am today, you are the reason I was allowed back in Heaven, how I got my redemption. It’s not your fault that…” He couldn’t finish the sentence.

“But it is my fault!” He shouted and balled his fists. “I am the reason our family fell apart!”

“No it isn’t! It’s not your fault big brother Wukong disappeared!”

“Yes it is! I never made sure you two were okay, I was selfish. You two had to deal with the aftermath of Wukong’s disappearance by yourself. I know it hurt you both and I never checked on you. I am a terrible master.”

“You are a wonderful master! It honestly wasn’t your fault. We all had a tough time during that,” he reassured him.

“Exactly! I was not the only one suffering, I should have checked on you!” He felt the tears on his face.

“Master, it’s okay. It’s okay. You handled it the only way you could.”

“Because of my selfishness, Bajie-” He paused and continued to weep. “I can’t even bring myself to face Wukong…”

Sandy placed a hand on his shoulder and remarked “I can’t bring myself to face him either, if he’s even there at all. You aren’t alone, master. I’m here for you.”

Tang wiped his tears. “Thank you Sandy.” He smiled. His disciple had grown so much.

“Of course, master!” He returned the smile and a question popped into his mind. “Do they know?”

“Hm? Know what?”

“Xiaotian, Mei, Pigsy, do they know? Do they know you’re Tripitaka?”

“No,” he stated bluntly. “I kept my identity a secret from them. I love them but I can not reveal my identity. I do not want the risk of someone trying to kidnap me like back then.” He shuddered.

“I understand, master. I won’t tell them!”

“Thank you Wujing. I appreciate that.”

Wujing nodded and beamed. “You know sometimes Pigsy reminds me of second brother…” he mentioned.

Tang’s eyes widened. “He reminds me of Bajie too. Sometimes the similarities terrify me, pain me.” He messed with the necklace.

Sandy hummed in agreement. “When we first met, I had to tell myself that he wasn’t the same as big brother Bajie.”

“Me too… and we know Bajie isn’t returning for a long time…” He wanted to cry again.

“Master, it isn’t your fault.”

“I know…” his voice cracked, it was his fault. He hid the necklace under his clothes. They stayed mostly in silence, on occasion hearing rumbling as they waited for the others to return.

* * *

Time flew by since Xiaotian, or MK as he had nicknamed himself, had gotten the staff and became Wukong’s successor. MK had done an impressive job as his disciple’s successor. He was truly worthy of being the Monkie Kid. From what he heard from MK, Wukong was doing a great job at training him. He was happy to hear that Wukong was okay. MK kept asking stories for more stories and Tang continued to oblige even though MK could easily ask the monkey king for stories, he wanted to hear these stories from Tang and it made him feel content. 

Sandy and him had reconnected, growing ever closer, they had tea every time they could. They reminisced about the past and mentioned current events, things surrounding MK, Mei or Pigsy. While they reconnected, they were hesitant to reach out to Wukong, they didn’t know what they would say first or how they would act and vice versa. It might be better this way, he seemed to be doing just fine without them, at least they had each other. 

It was around the time for Pigsy to close up his shop. He bid Pigsy farewell with Pigsy leaving one last remark about Tang paying him. Tang walked to his apartment, unlocking it with his keys and turning on the lights. He walked to his room and changed into his pajamas. He played with the necklace and took it off, putting it in a black jewelry box. He stared at it and sighed, closing the box. Looking at that necklace hurt at times but it hurt even more at the thought of getting rid of it and not having it around his neck. Tang put the box inside a drawer.

He quickly turned off the lights in his living room and returned to his bed, snuggling into the covers as he drifted off to sleep.

_A grassy field came into Tang’s view as he walked forward. Where was he? He glanced at himself, he was in the same old clothes as he was on the journey. Man, it had been awhile since he wore these robes. The only differences to his old attire was the necklace with the pig pendant and a golden wedding band on his left ring finger. Where did the ring come from? As he kept moving, a single tree on a hill came into view with a blanket set in the center with a picnic basket and a person sipping tea. For some reason the person looked like the dragon horse. He noticed three other figures there, he got even closer. The three figures were Bajie, Wukong and Wujing, all in the attire they wore during the journey except Wukong didn’t have that cursed crown on his head. They were conversing happily._

_Tang gasped, his disciples were all together like they should have been. His two missing disciples were there as if they never left in the first place. He ran in their direction, the sound of grass crunching beneath his feet, he held his arms out. He rushed into Bajie and Wukong, knocking them to the ground and trapping them in a hug. He heard one or both of them groan._

_He started crying and sniffled, “Bajie, Wukong, you’re both okay! You’re both right in front of me. I am so relieved.”_

_“Obviously we’re okay,” Wukong stated._

_“Yea, what made ya think we weren’t, master?” Bajie asked._

_Tang was about to answer when Sandy grabbed them all in a hug. “Group hug!” He exclaimed. The pig yelled at him to let go while the monkey chided the second brother. Tang barked out a laugh, it was like nothing had changed. After a few moments Sandy put them all down._

_Pigsy opened his mouth to say “So what made ya think we weren’t okay, master?”_

_“It just feels like I haven’t seen you two in forever,” he replied as he used his sleeves to get rid of the tears._

_Wukong and Bajie exchanged looks when Bajie stepped forward, placing his left hand on his master’s forehead. Tang noticed a golden band on Bajie’s hand, similar to the one he had on his. “Master, are ya okay? Not sick or anythin’?”_

_“No, I’m fine. Just feels like we haven’t talked to each other for so long. Like this is the first I’m seeing you in awhile.” The three gave him some more weird looks._

_“It’s only been a few hours since I last saw you master,” Bajie pointed out. “I had to do some errands earlier while you were doin’ your meditation and then had to help these three set up the picnic, pretty sure I left a note.” He felt around his master’s forehead to check for any sign of sickness._

_That shocked Tripitaka, to him it had been years but to them it had only been hours. He removed Bajie’s hand from his forehead and subconsciously held his hand. He tried to play off his weird behavior by stating, “Oh? Well a few hours is much too long. Don’t you think?” He giggled, he felt like his old self again. The others laughed along at his joke._

_“A few minutes could pass by without you and Pigsy seeing each other and you would complain that it felt like forever,” Wukong teased._

_“Hey! It’s natural for us wantin’ to be around each other all the time. We are married after all,” he defended and wrapped an arm protectively around Tang’s waist._

_“Mar- married?” Tang squeaked out and blushed._

_The others paid no mind at their master’s questioning gaze. “All the time? It feels like all I ever hear is “Bajie this” or “Master that,” jeez you two are so in love, it’s disgusting,” the monkey teased again, giving them a wink._

_Wuneng rolled his eyes. “We don’t talk about each other all the time.”_

_“Yes you do! And you make me suffer through it, oh the torture,” the sage cried dramatically. “Can’t you ever talk about something else?”_

_“At least I have somethin’ you don’t.” Bajie mocked. “Plus we do talk about other stuff.” Tang looked at the two, he missed their banter. He missed it so much._

_“I think it’s sweet,” Sandy interjected._

_“Thank you Sandy,” Tripitaka finally said. His third disciple gave him a small smile._

_“I can get anyone I want, at any time.” The monkey bragged. “I just prefer to be single. Anyway, we’re talking about you two lovebirds here.”_

_“Ha! Who’s fault is it for setting us up in the first place?” He nudged his older brother._

_“Sue me for wanting to make sure my brother and master are happy! Come on Sandy, let’s start heading to the hill before these two start making out.” He gave them one last wink and put his arms behind his head as he took steps towards the hill. Sandy followed closely behind, as they came closer to the tree, their conversation became increasingly distant to the other two. They could see Sandy and Monkey sit on the picnic blanket with the dragon horse._

_Tang playfully shook his head. “What are we going to do with him?”_

_“Ha, that’s your job, master!”_

_Tang sighed. “Yes it is.”_

_Bajie laughed. “So are ya sure you’re okay? Ya worried me earlier when you said it felt like we haven’t talked in so long and I can tell that wasn’t ya tryin’ to be cute like usual. You seemed genuinely confused.” Bajie sent him a worried glance._

_Tang cupped his face. “I’m fine, love.” The pet name slipped out as if it were natural. “I was just a little emotional earlier. If I was sick, I would tell you.”_

_“Okay sweetheart. Y’know I get worried about ya, we all do. What were ya emotional about anyway?”_

_“I know, honey.” Tang paused on the question before continuing, “I’m married to you who I love more than anything. How can I not get a little emotional?” He didn’t want to state the real reason but the idea of being married to Bajie, getting what he truly wanted made him start sobbing. He was incredibly lucky._

_The statement made Pigsy turn red. “I'm lucky I married ya too…” he mumbled shyly. “And don’t cry. I hate seein' ya cry, my little rose petal,” He said, kissing Tang’s tears away._

_“These are tears of joy,” he remarked and became more red._

_“I know but I still hate seein' ya cry.” He removed the rest of the tears on his master’s face and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. Tang froze before returning the kiss. It was gentle, perfect, everything he had ever wanted. He moved the hands he had on Bajie’s face to his neck while Bajie tightened the grip on Tang’s waist._

_They stayed like that a few seconds before parting. They stared deeply into each other’s eyes. “I love you,” Tang exclaimed and grinned._

_“I love you too.” They touched foreheads. Bajie whispered, “We should probably start headin’ to the others before they start eatin’ everythin’. Shall we?”_

_“Of course!” He wanted to point out that Bajie is the big eater of the group but he felt it would ruin the mood. They separated slightly as Bajie led Tripitaka to the tree on the hill where they joked and laughed with the others. It was perfect._

It was too perfect, Tang realized as he woke up. It was just a dream. There was no hill with a tree on it, he was just in his bed. There was no Bajie, no Wukong around him. Tang sat up, clenching the blankets as droplets fell. He sobbed, it was a fantasy. A beautiful fantasy. His Bajie wasn’t coming back. Their family wasn’t going to be repaired anytime soon, maybe not ever. It was all his fault, he was the reason his family was so broken.


	2. Hanging Out and Ghosts of the Pasts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dream was hardwired into Tang's mind, it was absolutely beautiful. He wished that was his reality but instead he had to face the fact that his old family was broken. At least his new family was there, they were amazing and they made plans to hang out. They would wander through the beautiful city and have fun. They kept him distracted and hopefully no old memories would pop up. He needed to forget about the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I'm still working on the fourth chapter for the other fic but I had to write the second chapter to leave you an idea of what to expect. Compared to Tripitaka's spirit in the other fic, Bajie's spirit will talk much later, probably around chapter 4 but will appear a little bit throughout. Tripitaka's spirit wants to finally apologize to the group, get closer to Pigsy and thinks it's right if his reincarnation remembers his past life. While Bajie wants to apologize too, he is a coward and thinks his master and family are better without him. He also thinks it's better if they don't know he's close to them and if his reincarnation doesn't remember who he used to be. Anyway enjoy the fic!

The dream stuck in Tang’s mind as he went to meet up with the others outside of Pigsy’s shop. It was splendid… and not real. He had dreams like that before, where everything was as it should be. Everytime those dreams struck him, he had to remind himself that it was just a hopeless fantasy. Wukong was content to stay on his mountain and Bajie was never coming back and they weren’t married either. Bajie’s decision to reincarnate still stung him and even if Bajie stayed, they would never be wed nor be a couple. Bajie’s type was women and rather beautiful women at that, he would never go for his cowardly master. Why would he when he could have a brave and gorgeous woman? He absentmindedly stepped closer to the group as they came into view, Pigsy had closed the shop early so they could all hang out (after the others managed to convince him, of course).

“Hey Mr. Tang!” Mei greeted.

“Hi Mr. Tang!” MK greeted him with the same enthusiasm as Mei.

Tang snapped out of his thoughts and smiled, “Hello you four!” Mo appeared and hissed at him. “Oh, sorry. I mean five.” Mo rubbed up against him and purred. Tang reached down to pet him. He glanced at the group, they were in casual wear including Pigsy who had replaced his cooking attire with a red flannel.

“We all ready to go?” Pigsy asked.

“Yep!” Mei and MK exclaimed in unison.

“I’m ready,” Tang stated. Sandy hummed in agreement and stood next to his master. 

Pigsy nodded, “Let’s go then.” He started walking towards the bustling city as the others followed.

Tang fixated on the busy street. After all these years of immortality, he was still amazed by how much China and by extension, the world had changed. It was absolutely beautiful, cars honking trying to get to their destination, groups of people chatting, couples holding hands, everything was beautiful. So much progress had been made during the thousands of years. He remembered when he heard about the car for the first time, he was astonished. A new method of transportation that didn’t involve horses. Would it even work? How could they even move places without horses required? He thought back then. He tried his hand at driving but… it didn’t go as good as he hoped. Each new invention fascinated him and he knew who they had to thank for such progress. Tang’s eyes sparkled as he continued to stare in awe at the city.

Sandy leaned near him and whispered, “Master, are you okay?”

The buddha whispered back, “Hm? I’m fine. It’s just so beautiful, don’t you think? China has changed a lot.”

“Yes it has, master. It’s rather pretty.” Tang saw Pigsy glare at them, probably wanted to know what they were whispering about. He noticed that Pigsy glared at them at times when he and Sandy were simply conversing but Pigsy’s glare always seemed to be a mix of hurt and anger. Tang never bothered to ask plus this was Pigsy so it didn’t make him feel concerned.

Mei and MK were chattering happily with each other, snapping pictures of their surroundings. Mei checked her phone and questioned, “Soooo, we looking for anything specific, Piggy?”

“Nope, just wanderin’ around, Mei,” Pigsy replied. The group passed by the Anti-Gravity Arcade, Mei and MK gasped and doubled back.

“Can we go there?” MK pointed at the place.

Pigsy shook his head. “Ugh, I don’t get why you two like that place so much. It’s all just noise to me,” he scoffed.

“Please Piggy!” Mei begged.

“Pretty please!” MK asked.

Sandy chimed in with “Please Big Bro- Pigsy! It will be fun!” Sandy held a breath in, Tang knew Sandy hoped Pigsy didn’t notice the slip up.

Pigsy said nothing of it and said “Fine.” He sighed. “I’m not goin’ in that place. Too much noise.” He rummaged around in his pockets for his wallet and pulled it out. He passed MK some money. “Don’t spend it all at once and don’t talk to strangers!” Tang smiled at the fatherly tone Pigsy was giving the boy. 

“Thank you! Are you coming with us Mr. Tang?” 

“No,” Tang replied. Even as he got further accustomed to the changing world, arcades overwhelmed him so he hardly stepped inside one. “I’ll stay with Pigsy. Maybe we can do something while you three are there.”

“Okay!” MK gave Pigsy a hug as thanks and ran inside, Mei not far behind. Sandy was about to go with them when he stopped and turned to Tang.

He muttered to his master, “Will you be okay, master? I can stay here if you need someone to protect you.” Tang groaned. Why did Sandy bother to ask this? He was going to get the same answer every time he asked.

Tang rolled his eyes. “I’ll be fine,” he stated in a soft and rather quiet tone. “I can handle myself. I am not as useless as back then plus we are in the city filled with people, nothing will happen.” He didn’t know what Sandy was worried about, although given Tang’s previous track record, maybe the protectiveness was warranted.

“Master, you got kidnapped in the market surrounded by people. Are you sure?” Ouch, he had a point.

“Yes, Sandy. I assure you, I’ll be fine.”

“Okay, master. I’m just-”

“Overprotective?” Tang supplied.

“You can’t blame me for that, master.” Sandy chuckled.

“Fair point but I’ll be okay. I know better than I did back then.”

“Okay, if you’re sure.” Sandy hugged him and went inside the arcade.

Pigsy crossed his arms and stepped closer to Tang. “What were you two whisperin’ about?”

“Nothing, just talking.”

“Whatever,” Pigsy grumbled.

“Where do you want to go first while we wait?”

“Doesn’t matter. As long as it isn’t some place like that arcade.”

Tang laughed, Pigsy really despised the arcade, didn’t he? “How about that new bookstore that recently opened up around here?” 

“Works for me.”

“Alright, let’s go!” Tang sauntered to the newest bookstore, opening the door for Pigsy who nodded and trudged inside. Tang marveled at the place and went straight to checking out the first shelf his eyes landed on. “You can check out cooking books if you want,” he commented as he flipped through a book about adventure.

“Yea, I’ll check out some stuff. I need ideas for new noodle recipes. Have to win against that enemy.” He muttered and stomped to find the cooking book section. Tang absentmindedly shook his head up and down. He put the book he was reading down and continued looking.

He gazed at a section about Buddhism. He picked up one book and opened the cover, feeling the soft texture of the first page. While he had left Heaven to adventure on his own and subsequently get away from painful memories concerning Wukong and Bajie, he still kept up with a good portion of Gautama Buddha’s lessons. He meditated every morning (well tried to) and continued to eat vegetarian food. He skimmed through more books and decided to choose three, carrying them under his arm. Tang searched for Pigsy until he glimpsed at a book regarding the “Journey to the West.” To this day, he was thrilled that their adventures were turned into a book, something that people could remember them with. The buddha loved to pick up every variation he could find of their journey. He grabbed the book and tucked it under his arm with the rest. He spotted Pigsy who had been inspecting a cooking book and approached him. “Pigsy! I found what I wanted. What about you?”

Pigsy nearly dropped his book in surprise. “Tang!” Pigsy growled. “Don’t sneak up on me like that!”

Tang barked out a laugh. “Sorry Pigsy. Didn’t realize you were so invested.” He smirked. “I have everything I wanted,” he repeated. “Ready to head out?”

“Yea, sure.” Pigsy crouched down to grab the rest of the books putting them in a pile, most of them were cooking books as to be expected from Pigsy. One was… oh my gods. One was a romance book labeled “How To Find Romance in 25 Easy Steps.” Tang suppressed another laugh and gave Pigsy another smirk. The pig noticed the smug grin on the buddha’s face and replied “Don’t-.”

Tang let the laughter slip past his lips, Pigsy shot him an irritated look. “A- a romance guide?” He needed a moment to catch his breath. “Amazing!” He mocked.

“Shad- shaddup,” the pig stammered.

Tang cupped the pig’s face unknowingly with his free hand. “Awww, that is absolutely adorable,” he commented with that sense of humor he developed over the centuries. 

Pigsy blushed, leaned into Tang’s hand and mumbled, “Can’t blame me for wantin’ to try and be happy. Plus if anythin’ is adorable, it would be you.” Now it was Tang’s turn to blush. Did Pigsy just flirt with him? He had to admit that Pigsy was rather handsome and charming, similar to the Pigsy he knew, Tang internally sighed, why did his mind drift to Bajie now? Probably since the similarities between him and Pigsy liked to smack him in the face. If he didn’t love Bajie so much and the resemblance between the two weren’t there then maybe he would be in love with this Pigsy instead. Ugh, what was he thinking? They were just friends and Wuneng had his heart forever, that was it. Pigsy gave him an enigmatic smile. “See it works. The book doesn’t seem like a ridiculous thing now.” Oh so it was just a joke… Tang questioned why a disappointed feeling welled up in his chest.

“Maybe not…” He removed his hand from Pigsy’s face and dragged Pigsy into line. The store was surprisingly busy so they had to wait a few minutes in line, Tang clutched his chest, he had no idea why the feeling was still there. There was no reason for it to be. He decided to take a glimpse at Pigsy and saw Bajie in place of Pigsy, there was a soft glow surrounding his disciple. Bajie wasn’t paying attention to his master instead he was facing forward, he wanted to reach out, wanted to touch him, cherish him yet he stopped himself from doing so. Tang blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes then he saw only Pigsy.

“You okay, Tang?” Pigsy asked with a raised eyebrow, he had noticed Tang clutching his chest.

“I’m fine, perfectly fine.” He shot Pigsy an unconvincing smile. 

“Okay…” Pigsy crossed his arms and turned his attention back to the people in front of them. Phew, at least he didn’t push the subject. Tang out a relieved sigh, closing his eyes then opening them. And…. Bajie was there instead of Pigsy again with that same faint glow. He rubbed his eyes for the second time and phew, it was only Pigsy. Weird… he tried to play it off, probably a figment of his imagination. He stepped closer to Pigsy and nudged him, Pigsy pushed him back slightly and they chuckled, unbeknownst to Tang and Pigsy a figure dressed in a cassock was watching them, searching for someone. The figure scowled and stomped off.

* * *

After waiting so long in line, the two met up with the other three. Pigsy and Tang traded pick up lines as a joke while they were waiting and a part of it made him feel giddy but he had to remind them that they were just friends, best friends and he didn’t want to use Pigsy as an outlet for his feelings for Bajie. Anyway the first thing Pigsy and Tang saw when they met up again was that Mei and MK were carrying some prizes in their arms. Tang and Pigsy had the plastic bags filled with their books. Sandy was the only one empty handed. They walked through the city, the sky had a nice pink-orange hue to it. Since they met up again, they had been wandering around for an hour or so around the snack stands. MK was sipping some cheese tea and approached him.

MK tapped him on the shoulder. “Mr. Tang?” 

“Yes MK?” Tang tilted his head.

“Can you tell me a story as we walk?” MK asked politely.

Tang wanted to coo, the boy was incredibly sweet. “Another story related to the Monkey King, I presume? Do I get a free bowl of noodles like usual if I do?” He teased. MK let out a giggle.

Pigsy who was ahead of the group yelled “No! No you ain’t!”

“Awww but Pigsy, it’s only polite.” He faced Pigsy and pouted. 

“You ain’t gettin’ any free noodles from me!” He glared.

“But-” He was about to argue when he noticed the people behind Pigsy. There were groups of people behind Pigsy and a lone figure that caught his eye. He squinted his eyes to get a good look at the figure, the person was also staring back at him and smirking. The person had a brocade cassock on and had a familiar face. Tang gasped, why did that person look like him? That figure looked like how he used to, exactly like he used to. He grabbed Sandy, who had been conversing with Mei with Mo on his shoulder, by the arm and leaned in. “Sandy! Do you see that?” He asked in a hushed tone.

“See what, master?” He replied confused. Tang pointed at the direction of the stranger. Sandy looked in that direction and shook his head. “I don’t get it. What did you see?”

Tang stared at the spot the stranger was at and… he wasn’t there. “But- but I thought.” It’s official, he was going crazy.

“Master, what happened?” Wujing whispered. 

The group gave him concerned glances. “Mr. Tang, are you okay?” Mei questioned.

“I’m fine, I thought I saw a bug on Sandy’s arm so I was trying to get it off,” he excused and released Sandy’s arm. He turned back to MK. “Sooo, any particular story about the Monkey King you want to hear?” He smiled sheepishly. 

“Uhhh, oooo, how about a story about Tripitaka?”

“Tripitaka? No story about your idol?” He teased again.

“I mean it is kinda related to him and Tripitaka is amazing! Imagine being asked to go on a journey with a bunch of scary demons for 14 years and going through all those perils!” MK shouted. Tang held back a giggle, hard to imagine that the terrifying demons he traveled with would end up becoming some of his closest companions and that he would stand beside one of them completely unafraid. “Not anyone starts what he did and keep on going!” Tang felt touched at the boy’s honesty, he felt a strong sense of joy in his chest. Everything in that journey scared him and he ended up having to be rescued a million times but at least he managed to spread Buddhism and his efforts were still appreciated to this day.

“Alright, I know a small story I can tell you. The group had just stopped a small village to restock…”

* * *

_During the middle of their journey_

_The pilgrims strolled into a small village, the sun shining. Tripitaka was on his horse with Sandy behind him and Pigsy and Monkey covering both his sides. “We should stop here to get some rest and stock up on supplies,” the monk said._

_“You got it, master!” Wukong yelled._

_“Master, may I he-” Sandy was interrupted by Wuneng placing a hand on his chest and pushing him away. Sandy promptly glared at him._

_“Master, let me help you off the horse!” Wuneng held his hand out to his master and grinned._

_“Oh, thank you Wuneng.” He smiled and took Pigsy’s hand. Pigsy gently helped him down, wrapping an arm around his waist to support him, holding him close._

_The monk laughed and thanked him. The two noticed how close they were and turned red. Wukong was smirking at them as he sat on his cloud. Tang stepped away from Bajie who frowned and loosened the grip on his master’s waist._

_Sandy gave them a puzzled look before shaking it off. “I can take the reins of the horse, master.” The horse huffed._

_“Thank you Wujing. I would appreciate that.” Tripitaka tucked his hands in his sleeves._

_“No problem, master!” Sandy grabbed the reins of the horse as they traveled around the village._

_He told his disciples to not attract too much attention as they looked for supplies, he knew they would get a couple stares here and there because they were, you know, demons. He hoped nothing would happen as they explored. They gathered different medicinal supplies and food with Tripitaka doing the talking. Bajie surprisingly offered to hold the supplies for them (and also didn’t attempt to sneakily eat the food like usual) and their hands brushed together as Tripitaka passed it, it made the monk’s heart race and even more when Bajie gave him a small smile. Bajie’s smile was awfully cute along with his general personality and looks. Sometimes thinking about the pig demon made him blush for no reason at all, the monk tried to convince himself._

_Wukong floated near him and tucked a hand underneath his chin. The monk squinted at him. “What is it, Wukong?”_

_“Ohhhh, nothing. All I’m doing is watching your cute exchanges with the idiot.”_

_“I have no idea what you are referring to.”_

_“Uh huh, like you two aren’t flirting with each other.”_

_“Wha- what? We are not flirting with each other,” he stuttered._

_“Really? Cause it seems like you are, exchanging little glances and brushing your hands against each other.” The monkey raised an eyebrow, waiting for a response._

_“We- we are not flirting with each other, it is called being friendly. I took an act of celibacy when I became a buddhist! Bad monkey!” The thought of flirting with Bajie made his face red. Wukong rolled back laughing at his master’s flustered face._

_He sat back upright and floated even closer to his master. He smirked and commented “Don’t worry, master. I think it’s cute. I’ll try not to tell second brother.” He winked. Tripitaka stuttered more, trying to scold the monkey and getting more red._

_Bajie had been zoning out and then decided to take a glance at his beautiful master. He saw his master red in the face, man was his blush adorable, a dreamy look came upon the pig’s face but what he saw next made him angry. The monkey was incredibly close to their master with a smug grin and his master was stuttering. Bajie furrowed his eyebrows and clenched his fists, was the monkey flirting with what was his? Typical, the monkey was always their master’s favorite. If he was brave enough then he would have stomped to his older brother and fight him instead his eyes scanned the market. His eyes landed on a flower stall with two cute ladies, one with black hair and the other a brunette conversing with what he presumed was a worker. They were rather pretty and had rather *cough* splendid curves. Perfect, Bajie thought._

_The pig approached his older brother and shoved the supplies into his arms. His brother and master shot him a confused look. Sandy was too busy conversing with the horse to pay attention. “Hello ladies,” the pig greeted and kissed both their hands._

_“Hello, who might you be?” The brunette asked._

_“The name is Zhu Bajie or Marshall Tian Peng or Pigsy for short, whatever you prefer. May I ask why you two are shoppin’ for flowers? Don’t you know that any flower pales in comparison to how beautiful you both look?” The ladies giggled and continued to chat with the pig._

_Tripitaka’s shoulder drooped while Monkey gave him a pitying look. He clutched his chest and shook. For a while now it had begun to hurt when Bajie flirted with women. Jealousy coursed through his veins and a bitter taste was left on tongue (in reality Tang told MK that it was annoyance and not envy). He started to walk away. “Master? Where are you going?” The Monkey King questioned._

_“Don’t worry. I will be back. I feel like taking a walk.” He gave the monkey an unconvincing smile and stepped away from the group. The monkey sighed._

_The fish walked close to his oldest brother, still holding onto the reins of the horse. “Did the idiot accidentally make master jealous again?”_

_“Yep.”_

_“I’m going to punch that pig.” Sandy growled._

_“Ha! I don’t doubt that.”_

_A few minutes went by since Tripitaka staggered away from the group. He took deep breaths. Watching Bajie flirt with those women was painful. Why was he so jealous? No, it wasn’t that he was jealous, he tried to deny. More annoyed, yea that was it, annoyed that Bajie gave into such base desires. He should know better, flirting with those women instead of him… oh, oh no. Did he have a crush on Bajie? Bajie was quite attractive even for a demon, he was cutely chubby and strong. His voice gruff but appealing, sometimes Tripitaka found himself hanging onto his every word until he realized it got them in trouble, his voice made the monk’s heart melt. While he was an idiot, he was charming and made the monk laugh even when the humor turned out to be rather crude. There were times Tripitaka wanted to lean up against him and kiss him after one or both of them had gotten free from their capture. He also found himself wanting to kiss him as thanks for when he helped free him, he wanted to hold Bajie and never let go. Bajie was his hero (but he knew Wukong was the main reason he was always rescued). Ack! He did not have a crush on Bajie! It would be completely inappropriate! He took a vow to remain celibate._

_“Master!” He heard Bajie call him, the pig ran up and tried to catch his breath._

_“Bajie? Weren’t you flirting with those women?” He scoffed._

_“Oh I was…” Bajie rubbed the back of his neck. “Brother Wukong told me to check on you. Are ya okay?”_

_The monk suppressed a frown. Was that the only reason he checked on him? “Yes I am. How sweet of you,” he said._

_“He said ya were angry with me. Did I do somethin’ wrong, master?”_

_“You did nothing wrong. Don’t listen to him. I have no reason to be angry with you.”_

_“Okay…” A reminder flashed in Bajie's head and he lifted one arm slightly. “Oh! I got somethin’ for ya.”_

_“Hm? What’s the occasion?”_

_“No occasion! Other than the fact I thought ya were angry at me.” In Wuneng’s hand were two peonies, white and pink, and two camellia, one pink, one red. He held them out to his master._

_Sanzang beamed as a small blush appeared on his face. “Thank you Bajie. That is very kind of you.” He sniffed the flowers. He took a good look at the flowers, the white peony was Bajie saying “I’m sorry,” the pink peony symbolizes good luck and prosperity while the pink camellia meant “longing” and the red camellia stood for “love, passion and deep desire.” He could feel his face growing hotter. Bajie must have picked them just cause they were pretty. Bajie wasn’t into him and he never would be..._

_Wuneng beamed back. “You’re welcome!” Wuneng’s smile was adorable._

_“Now let us head back to the others. Wouldn’t want to keep them waiting.” Wuneng nodded, he placed a hand on Tripitaka’s arm as they walked back to the group. They smiled and laughed with the monk continuing to hold the beautiful flowers._

* * *

“So they made their way back to the group to continue their journey to the west.” Tang finished. Back then, he tried so hard to deny what he felt, he was and is a Buddhist, he did take an act of celibacy. After a few years, he learned to accept his feelings for his second disciple. He hoped the gods would forgive him for wanting to break his vow of celibacy, they did kinda owe him. Thankfully he omitted the more romantic details when he told the story to MK.

“That’s it?” MK pondered. “No action?”

“Yep, I did tell you it was a small story.” Tang stared up at the sky. He hardly realized how dark it had gotten, the stars were beautiful and the streets seemed a little empty. While Tang had told his story, they made the choice to head back to Pigsy’s to get some real food and rest, he spotted the noodle shop in the distance.

“I guess it was sweet that Bajie cared enough to check on Tripitaka. They cared about their master a lot!”

“Yes they did and their master cared about them. He loved them so much.” He could see Sandy holding back a large smile.

“I doubt that… he didn’t care about all of them…” He heard Pigsy mutter in front of them.

“What was that, Pigsy?”

Pigsy blinked in confusion and said, “Nothin’... forget what I said.”

Tang tilted his head but remained silent. They finally reached the noodle shop, the group waited as Pigsy put the plastic back down and fumbled with his pockets. Mei, MK, and Sandy were all chatting with Mo purring as he nuzzled Sandy. Tang was hoping Pigsy would hurry up so he could steal Pigsy’s bowl when he wasn’t looking. “Hurry up Pigsy!” He shouted.

“Shaddup Tang! I’m goin’ as fast as I can!” Pigsy yelled as he finally inserted a key into its slot and unlocked it. “There!” He lifted the store front gate open.

In the shadows, the figure in the brocade cassock stared at them with a smug look and glowing red eyes. The figure’s face shifted to a more polite and gentle look as he approached the group quietly.

“Took you long enough!”

“Shaddup!” Pigsy repeated. 

Tang was about to shoot him another sly comment when “Excuse me!” A voice exclaimed. “I am looking for the Monkie kid.”

“That would be me!” MK swung around to face the figure and gasped. 

“What’s up, MK?” He heard Mei ask as she turned around. “Wait- wait, you’re-” her face broke out into an excited grin. 

Pigsy was the next to stare at what they were looking at and glared. He got in front of Tang with a protective stance for some reason?? Sandy leaned close to Tang and whispered “Uhhhh, master, why are there two of you?”

“What?” He turned around and saw… himself again. It was the version of himself that had gone on that journey. His eyes widened. So he wasn’t crazy after all. It was obviously some demon in disguise, you would have to be a fool to fall for that disguise (says the person who fell for so many disguises).

“You’re, you’re-” MK and Mei both stuttered and pointed at the figure enthusiastically. Oh- oh no, they didn’t seem to be aware.

“I am Tripitaka and I have come to check on my disciple’s successor,” The imposter said proudly. “Now are you the Monkie Kid?” Tang felt a malicious aura come from the imposter.

MK don’t answer him, Tang wanted to say. “Yes! Yes I am!” MK declared. No, no, no. This couldn’t be happening. That wasn’t him! Were they really going to fall for this disguise? It’s not like he could tell them the figure was a fake. It would give away his identity, at least Tang thought it would if he said something.

“Perfect.” The fake smirked and Tang froze in fear. “I need to talk to you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> >:). I hope that kept you all entertained and intrigued, that's something to expect for the next chapter. See you in the next chapter and I'll be working on updating the other fic.


	3. Hiding Secrets and MK's spirit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The imposter appeared in front of the group with malicious intent and to Tang the malicious intent was quite clear. Looking at his old self made him think of the past. The imposter said he came to determine how MK was as Wukong's successor and the others believed the fake. That shook Tang to his very core, but he stayed silent. So many questions and thoughts went through his mind. What was he supposed to do? Just expose his identity in front of everyone? They would hate him. He couldn’t do that. There were too many risks involved, but the way MK looked at the imposter with so much admiration and respect made him have second thoughts. Was MK really falling for this act? He should tell him but no, MK is a smart boy, he could figure it out himself. Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOO, this chapter is finally done. I mentioned this on my Tumblr but sorry this took so long. Every time I tried to write the chapter, none of the words came out right. Hope you all enjoy! Thanks for all the kudos, reads and stuff I've been getting!

A minute had passed since the imposter’s sudden appearance but to Tang, that minute felt like hours. The imposter’s figure was illuminated by various streetlights nearby, they had that same smirk still plastered on their face as their chin jutted out, flecks of red present in their eyes as they examined the group. They strutted towards the group, unfazed by the cold breeze wafting through the air, and as they stepped closer, their smirk shifted to a gentle yet obviously fake smile. Tang’s body shook as his eyes glazed over the imposter. He felt a bead of sweat roll down his face, his mouth hung open as he trembled. His heart rate sped up the more he continued to stare, his head turned rapidly left to right to observe the others’ reactions. Mei and MK’s eyes were sparkling, MK rocked back and forth with his feet while Mei snapped pictures of “Tripitaka,” the “monk’s” eye twitching in annoyance. Pigsy was still in front of Tang, almost guarding him, he narrowed his eyes at the imposter and crossed his arms. Sandy placed a hand on Tang’s shoulder, the contact made him jump and let out a slight gasp. He looked at Sandy with wide eyes, the fish demon gave him a soft look then glared at the fake. 

The fake stopped a few feet away from them and tucked their arms in their sleeves. “I need to talk to you,” they repeated. Tang glanced back at the imposter, it was like looking into a mirror (a really old mirror but a mirror nonetheless). Another bead of sweat dripped down, no one except Sandy and Tang noticed the imposter’s malicious gaze. 

MK beamed at the imposter as he invaded their personal space. “WOW! YOU’RE TRIPITAKA! THE GREAT MONK! YOU- YOU RETRIEVED THE SCRIPTURES WITH ALL THOSE DEMONS TRYING TO GET YOU! YOU’RE AMAZING! I AM A HUGE FAN!” He gushed.

Mei mimicked MK’s actions. “YEA! YOU DID A LOT!” She exclaimed, waving her arms.

In any other circumstance, Tang would have found their admiration adorable but they were falling for a fake. That wasn’t the real him! He reached out his hand towards their direction to tell them yet no words fell from his mouth. He pulled his hand back and realized he had no idea what he was supposed to say. Obviously, he should tell them that that wasn’t the real Tripitaka but how? He couldn’t just give them the truth. They would ask how he knew. It would expose his identity! Demons would come after him and try to eat him, just like the past! There were too many risks involved! So he watched, watched as they fell for the act.

The imposter rolled his eyes and pushed them away. “Yes, I know… I know I am amazing.” The two were unfazed by “Tripitaka’s” rude behavior and continued to gaze at him with bright eyes, they were practically bursting with joy.

Pigsy scowled at the “monk” pushing away **his** kids. “So what is the great monk or whatever doin’ here?”

The fake scoffed and replied “I told you, I need to talk to my disciple’s successor.”

“OH YEA! YOU MENTIONED THAT! TALK TO ME ABOUT WHAT? IT MUST BE IMPORTANT!” MK yelled.

Pigsy raised his eyebrow. “You need to talk to the kid? About what?”

The fake sighed and rolled their eyes again. “I wanted to check up on this successor I have heard about. So far, I am not looking at anything amazing,” he muttered. “Is there some place we can chat?”

MK’s face fell as he listened to the fake’s mumbling. Mei patted his back and squinted her eyes at the fake, a small green aura emitting from her body. MK shook it off and grinned. “Yes there is! We were about to eat dinner in Pigsy’s shop!” He informed. “You should join us!”

The aura disappeared from Mei as she chimed in “Yea! It would be awesome!”

Pigsy stepped forward and growled, “Kids-.” At the pig’s growl, MK and Mei dropped to their knees in front of the chef, staring at him with pleading eyes.

“Please Piggy! We should invite him,” Mei pleaded

“Yea! He’s the great monk! It would be awesome!”

“Please! Please! Please!” They begged in unison.

Pigsy frowned at the sight then facepalmed, making an “ugh” sound. “Fine….” He turned to “Tripitaka,” his eyes scanned the “monk.” “C’mon in.”

The fake smirked. “Thank you.” They walked inside with MK and Mei following after them eagerly, their voices fading in the distance as they asked the fake questions. Pigsy grumbled and stomped inside. Only Tang, Sandy and Mo were left outside.

They had just been watching the scene, Tang couldn’t bring himself to intervene. Tang shivered as the cool air hit him and he began hyperventilating. He felt himself stumble, the only thing preventing him from falling was Sandy’s firm grip. This couldn’t be happening! **This couldn’t be happening!** Had they really fallen for that disguise? And he let them, he let them believe that was the real Tripitaka. He wanted to say something but he just couldn’t. Sandy softly spoke, “Master, calm down….” He couldn’t, he couldn’t calm down. He shot Sandy a frantic look. Sandy rubbed his master’s back making soft circling motions. Tang breathed in and out, in and out, he reminded himself. Eventually he stopped shaking.

“Tha-thank you Wujing.” 

Sandy nodded and smiled. “Of course, master.” He handed Mo to his master. The monk cradled Mo in his arms, softly stroking his fur. Mo began purring. Sandy runned his hands through his beard. “What are we going to do? They need to know it’s a fake.”

Tang took deep breaths. “I- I- I know.” 

Sandy glanced at him. “We are going to tell them, right?”

“I- I don’t know…”

“Master!” Sandy yelled. “We have to tell them!”

“I KNOW!” Tang yelled back.

“Then why are you hesitating?”

“Because… because MK can handle it! He needs to learn!” He began pacing with Mo still in his arms. “Plus if I told them then I would have to explain how I know. And then demons would come after me and try to capture me and then try to eat me-. I- I CAN’T RISK IT!” Sandy gazed at him with a pained expression. “I- I’m sorry Sandy. I just can’t.”

“I… I understand, master. Do you really believe MK can handle it?” Sandy titled his head.

“Yes! He’s a smart boy, it should be fine… if he uses his special eyes then he can spot the problem. There shouldn’t be an issue!” He tried to reassure him.

Sandy tightened his lips. “...Okay, if you’re sure."

“I am….” He sighed, he grinned at his disciple. “We should go inside…” He passed Mo back to Sandy and walked inside, giving Sandy one last glance.

Sandy shook his head. “Master is right. MK can handle it… I think.” Mo meowed and nuzzled him. “Thanks Mo!” He beamed and went inside to see the others.

* * *

Tang ate his vegetable soup, slurping the tasty noodles up and taking in the scents of the shop as he glared at the fake. Tang was next to Sandy with Pigsy at the end while the fake was in between MK and Mei as they began to ask questions and talk eagerly about the journey, ignoring the bowls right in front of them.

“Remember the three immortals that tried to get you arrested for the Monkey King breaking into that one temple with the others?” MK asked excitedly.

“Ye-,” the imposter started to say but was interrupted by Mei.

“So are you immortal?”

“I a-.”

“What was it like traveling with the monkey king?”

“What’s your favorite food?”

“What’s your favorite color?”

“What have you been doing since the journey?” The two threw question after question at the imposter without giving them time to answer. Tang had to stop sipping his soup and cover his mouth to prevent himself from laughing. Sandy glanced at the scene worried while Pigsy narrowed his eyes.

“ENOUGH!” The fake monk yelled. MK and Mei scooted away shocked, Tang and Sandy’s eyes widened while Pigsy snarled.

Pigsy stood up rapidly and slammed his fist on the table making everyone, including the imposter, jump. “Don’t yell at my kids!”

“Pigsy! He’s the great monk, you can’t scream at him like that!” MK defended.

“He just yelled at you kids! I don’t care what he is!”

The imposter coughed. “My apologies. I did not mean to yell like that. I am just…” he paused and to keep up appearances, he said “Overwhelmed…”

“It’s fine!” MK excused.

“Yea!” Mei said.

“Tripitaka” ate some of the noodles. “To answer your questions… Yes, I remember that. Yes, I am immortal. It was terrible traveling with that worthless monkey,” he scoffed before continuing. “Dim sum and purple I suppose.” Tang tightened his grip on his bowl, how dare the fake insult one of his disciples?!

“Worthless?” MK raised an eyebrow.

“He didn’t exactly do a good job preventing me from getting captured, now did he?”

“I- I guess but he saved you at the end!”

“Maybe he should have just let those demons eat me… I could have gained immortality by eating that monk…” The imposter mumbled. The mention of possibly getting eaten made Tang freeze.

“I’m sorry?”

“Nothing…”

“Okay!”

“Ugh, are you always this peppy?”

“Um, I think so!”

“It is ann- something…”

“So Mr. Sanzang?”

The imposter sighed. “Yes?”

“When was the last time you’ve seen the Monkey King? I- I could take you to him! I think he would lo-”

“NO!” The imposter screeched and tensed up. Everyone jumped again. The fake cleared their throat. “Sorry… it has just been a long time since I have seen him. I would not know what to say.” He stuffed his mouth full of noodles and ate some of the meat in the bowl.

“Oh, okay! I understand!”

“Mr. Sanzang?” This time it was Mei asking.

“Yes…?” The fake’s eyes twitched in annoyance.

“Aren’t you a vegetarian?”

“I am… but I have been trying out something different and as the great monk, I can do whatever I want,” he stated. At that statement, Tang shot another glare, while he tried a variety of meat products as he explored the earth after leaving Heaven, he preferred his more vegetarian lifestyle and he couldn’t just do whatever want, regardless of his status as the great tang monk. The imposter was doing a horrible job mimicking him! How could anyone fall for this?

A question formed in Tang’s head and he smirked. “I have a question too…”

Sandy gave his master a panicked look and tried to stop him by mumbling “Master…”

Tang shook his head and shushed his disciple. “You mentioned your feelings about Wukong… what about the rest of “your” disciples, like Bai Longma, Bajie and Wujing?”

“Master…” Tang put a finger to his lips to quiet Wujing again.

The fake bit their lip. “Well, I can hardly remember that dragon horse, hardly useful. Bajie, ha! That pig was a coward, annoying too, nothing but dead weight. Wujing was so forgettable. Sometimes I confuse him for that horse, that’s how forgettable he was. Now enough of these pointless questions.” Tang’s blood boiled and he saw Wujing frown. HOW DARE THAT FAKE INSULT HIS DISCIPLES? He wanted to scream at him but that would give away his identity. He settled on a low hiss instead. He loved all his disciples but that statement on Bajie made him mad the most, his Bajie was not annoying or dead weight, he might have run away in situations but he always helped. He felt around his clothing to feel the necklace underneath and went to comfort Wujing. 

MK was oblivious to Tang’s angry reaction and gazed at the imposter with sparkles in his eyes. “Pointless? O- okay! OH I REMEMBER! You wanted to check up on me?”

“Yes I did. I wanted to… determine your worth as my disciple’s successor…”

“No one is more worthy than MK!” Mei complimented.

“Thanks Mei! I think I’m worthy? I- I think!”

“We’ll see…. So far there isn’t much to look at.”

“O-oh….” MK frowned.

“So far I see nothing but a child that asks too many questions. It’s annoying,” the fake stated bluntly. The rest of the group glared at him.

“I’m- I’m sorry.. I’ll work on improving that!” 

“Sure you will,” the “monk” scoffed and continued to eat. The others noticed the sadness in MK’s eyes.

“What can I do to prove myself?”

“For starters, you can get me another bowl.”

“Okay!” As MK was about to pass another bowl to the imposter, he fell to the ground with a thud, the imposter had kicked the back of his legs, the bowl he was holding shattered to pieces.

The imposter smirked as he stared at MK, the spots of red in his eyes glowing. “Oops! Sorry,” he apologized in an insincere tone.

Pigsy stood up about to throw the imposter out. “That’s it!”

“It’s fine, Pigsy!” MK excused. “I’ll get a dustpan!”

“Kid-” the pig said in a mix of concern and anger.

“It’s fine! I’ll clean it up!” MK ran off while Pigsy huffed and sat back down. Mei narrowed her eyes at the imposter while Tang and Sandy exchanged glances. 

Sandy whispered to his master, “Master, we should say something.”

Tang gritted his teeth. “MK can handle it. He’ll realize this is a fake. I mean that alone must tell him.”

“Are you sure? Because it seems like we should tell them.”

“Yes… I am. It will be okay.”

MK returned shortly afterwards with a dustpan in hand, scooped up the shards and dumped them into a nearby trash bag. He quickly handed the imposter a bowl of noodles. “Sorry it took long! Here you go!”

The imposter scoffed. “That took too long, I’m sure Wukong would be able to hand me 20 bowls by now without dropping them, probably would be the only thing he’s good for.”

The boy’s shoulders drooped. “S-sorry….” he messed with hands and dragged his feet back to the table to sit down. Once he sat down, he used his spoon to make circling motions in his soup and just watched it swirl. 

The fake rolled his eyes. “How did you even become his successor….”

“I- I don’t know. He just wanted me to be?”

“Probably ran out of viable candidates so he got stuck with you, worthless boy.”

MK nervously chuckled and tensed up. “P-probably….”

As the night went on, the fake continued to sneakily throw insult after insult at MK along with kicking him stealthy under the table, the others growled and tried to throw him out but MK told them that it wasn’t a big issue. Tang just watched the scene unfold in front of him, his body shook with rage yet he refused to say anything even when Sandy nudged and whispered at him to do something. He tried to convince himself that MK could handle it and he would handle it. Nothing bad would happen, yea, nothing bad would happen.

* * *

“This is not the soup I wanted. It tastes terrible, get me another one!” The fake gagged and pushed the bowl away from him.

“Okay…” MK took the bowl and went to go replace it. Pigsy and Tang watched the scene with clenched teeth. 

The fake had been around for a week, showing up at Pigsy’s noodle shop with a condescending attitude. He would complain about Pigsy’s cooking and order MK around like a servant. The only reason Pigsy didn’t kick him out yet was because MK begged him and he couldn’t very well say no to one of his kids, could he? Pigsy for all his roughness was just a big softie underneath. It was one of the qualities Tang liked the most about him. 

Tang has tried to coax MK to use his special eyes without giving it away but the boy was oblivious. Sandy had been urging him to tell the group yet he refused. “MK will figure it out,” that’s what he always told Sandy. He was afraid of his secret getting out, there were so many things that could have gone wrong if he revealed it.

As Tang was immersed in his thoughts, MK approached Pigsy and him to slide the bowl back. The sound of the bowl being laid on the counter snapped him out of it and he stared at MK. MK had circles under his eyes and they looked red from crying. 

Pigsy crossed his arms. “Kid, this has gone too far. That monk needs to go!”

MK waved his arms. “No! It’s fine!”

“Kid-”

“He’s awesome! He’s fine!”

Tang placed his own bowl down. “He treats you like garbage!”

“No he doesn’t!”

Tang sighed. “He insults you all the time!”

“Well… that’s… that’s because I deserve it…” That statement made Pigsy and Tang’s mouth hang open. “I’m… I’m not doing a good job as the Monkey King’s successor… he’s just trying to teach me!”

The monk hopped out of his seat as he looked MK dead in the eyes. “He’s not teaching you anything! He’s just being mean! He’s not acting like how Tripitaka should!”

Pigsy grunted. “He’s right, kid. That monk is nothin’ but trouble!”

MK focused on the ground then looked at the two with fire in his eyes. “No he isn't! He’s the great monk! He’s so cool and I want to impress him! He knows what he’s doing! I… I plan on taking him around the city as soon as the shop closes!”

Pigsy huffed. “If you’re takin’ him around then we’re coming along with you.”

“Why? I can take him around myself!”

“I know, kid but I don’t trust him.”

“Okay…” MK grabbed another bowl and left to give it to the imposter.

“I don’t like that monk…” the chef mumbled and crinkled his nose. 

“I don’t either…” 

“He acts so high and mighty. Are all Buddhists like this?”

“Of course not! Buddhists are supposed to be compassionate.”

“Guess he’s the exception then.”

“Guess so….” Tang sat back on the stool and ate the rest of his soup, thinking. He should say something…. But no, it would be fine… It would be fine…

He heard the imposter shout “Ugh! Finally. Useless boy….” Tang gripped his bowl. It would be fine. It would be fine, he repeated that over and over again.

* * *

Pigsy had turned off the lights of the shop as Tang stood beside him. MK and Mei had gotten a head start on showing the imposter around. Tang told Sandy to go with them so they weren’t vulnerable.

As they exited, Pigsy locked the shop with a click. He grumbled, “We should hurry up, I don’t like leavin’ the kids alone with that monk. There’s somethin’ off about him… he’s not m- he’s mean to MK.”

Tang raised his eyebrow. “Yes he is. Let’s go.” They nodded to each other and walked off.

Minutes went by as they searched. Tang received a text from Sandy to meet them in a field, apparently the imposter had something to tell MK. Panic shot through Tang when he looked at the message, he practically grabbed Pigsy and ran. Pigsy kept yelling at him to slow down and now here they were surrounded by beautiful flowers and trees.

“There they are!” The monk pointed as the group.

“Yea, I see them. Now let go of me!” 

“Oops, sorry!” He put Pigsy down who glared.

They stopped in front of the group. The fake noticed them and squinted his eyes. “Ugh, you’re here…”

Pigsy clenched his jaw. “Yes we are. Got a problem with that?”

The fake rolled their eyes. “Well I wouldn’t expect a pig like you to understand the meaning of wanting to talk alone with someone so it’s fine.”

“What did you just say?” Pigsy hissed.

“Nothing.”

“Yea, that better be your answer…”

The fake rolled their eyes again. Sandy scooted towards his master and mumbled “Master, I don’t like where this is going.”

Tang leaned and brought hand up to mutter back “I don’t either.”

“We should say something.”

“No, it’s fine.”

“Master, this has gone far enough. I will tell them now.” Sandy opened his mouth to inform the others when Tang grabbed him by the shoulder. Sandy looked at him expectantly. 

“My precious disciple, we can’t tell them.”

“And why not?”

“Because I could get eaten.”

Sandy had a creased brow. “Master… I think you’re just too scared to tell them because you know it will reveal your identity.”

“Of course I am!” He said in a mix of a hush and a shout. 

“You know what I mean! You’re scared about the other’s reactions!”

“No I-” Sandy glared at him and tapped his foot. “Yes… I’ve lied to them for so long…”

“Master, they will understand.”

“I let this imposter treat MK horribly. They wouldn’t understand…”

“Still, we should tell them.”

The monk shook his head. “Let’s just see where this goes. Don’t worry, my disciple. It will be okay.”

The fish sighed. “Yes, master.”

The demon interrupted them. “Are you two done? With your bickering or whatever you were doing?”

Tang narrowed his eyes and replied, “Yes, we are.”

“Good.” He turned to MK. “Now about what I had to tell you.”

MK beamed. “Is this about how I’m doing as the Monkey King’s successor? How did I do?”

Mei wrapped an arm around MK. “I’m sure you did great!”

“Thanks Mei!”

“Of course, MK”

The fake gritted their teeth before composing themself. “Yes it is. So how.. you did as my “disciple’s” successor.” They closed their eyes.

Suddenly, wind began to pick up and swirl around the fake. The wind lifted the fake up and they opened their eyes with ferociousness in them, their eyes were now fully red. A pillow appeared on the ground. “ **You are not worthy enough** **to be his successor.** Give me the staff, it’s too important for you to handle it. Place it on that pillow and I’ll take care of it.”

The group gasped, everyone except MK glared at the fake. “Wh-what?” MK asked.

“You heard me. You are so annoying, you ask too many questions. You don’t even have enough power as the monkey king.”

“That’s… that’s because…”

“SILENCE! That’s exactly it. You interrupt and you’re weak. I bet that even isn’t the real staff, probably nothing but a cheap imitation. You’re just some worthless fanboy.”

“It… it is the real staff!” MK’s voice broke. 

“Yea… sure… now give me the staff.”

“But… but you said…” 

“I KNOW WHAT I SAID! Ugh, you never listen like that horrible monkey.”

Mei exploded at the imposter. “WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT MY BEST FRIEND?” A green aura emitted from her body.

“Are all of you, deaf?”

MK stumbled back. “...I… I…”

The imposter cackled as he called for MK to give him the staff again. “Now come on, you aren’t worthy to hold such a powerful thing like that. You’re nothing but a child. Not worthy enough to be called my disciple’s successor,” the imposter mocked. The words stung MK **hard** while the rest of the group continued to glare.

Pigsy stomped forward a bit. “Don’t talk to **my** kid that way! What kind of Buddhist are you? You’re a terrible fuckin’ one! Where do you get off?” He yelled.

“Get off? I am the great monk! I am the one who brought the scriptures back so pigs like you could find some enlightenment!” The imposter bellowed then sighed. “It seems like all my efforts were in vain. Look at the folks around, so obsessed with yourselves. Unlike me, I can do what I want!” Pigsy scowled at him.

“Leave my best friend and Piggy alone!” Mei shouted, the green aura grew stronger.

“Oh, what are you going to do about it? Watch some puppy videos to threaten me?”

Tang stared at the scene in front of him. He felt a hand being placed on his shoulder. “Master, you need to do something,” Sandy exclaimed. He nodded back, Sandy was right. This had gone too far. He had to take action. As he approached the imposter, he shook. “They’re right! And you are not Tripitaka! Not the real one!”

“Tripitaka” glanced at Tang with amusement. “Really? How would you know?”

“Because I-.” He froze. Was he really about to do this? He glanced at MK, he was the boy with the most amazing heart, doing everything to protect his friends, who admired the same monkey that used to do anything to get his way, the boy worthy enough to be his disciple’s successor, who had gone through so many difficulties and challenges in his young life, similar to Tang’s own. And the sight of MK broke his heart, he was facing down, clutching the staff and he could see tears fall from the boy’s eyes to the ground. Tang fumed, if he was doing this, he was doing this for MK. He turned back to the imposter. 

The imposter watched him with a raised eyebrow. “Well, I’m waiting!”

Tang opened his mouth to speak when MK cut him off. “Wait! I’ll- I’ll give you the staff!”

“Kid? What are you doin’?” Pigsy asked.

“Giving him the staff,” MK responded. “I’m not worthy enough to be the Monkey King’s successor. It must be true if the great tang monk thinks so…. I- I’m not worthy, not good enough….” MK let out a few shaky breaths.

The imposter grinned. “Smart boy. Now give it here!” The imposter beckoned. 

Tang stepped in front of MK and held an arm out. “NO! You are not putting your hands on the staff! MK is a worthy successor! You are not the real Tripitaka! He would never act like this!” He growled at the fake, all that fear was replaced by pure rage.

Sandy cracked his knuckles and exclaimed “He’s right! You are not him!”

The fake smirked at him, still suspended in midair. “Again, how would you know?”

Tang took deep breaths. “Because **I** am Tripitaka!” At the confession, the fake threw his head back and clapped.

“You? Are you delusional or something?!” The imposter said laughing.

“I think you’re the delusional one here. I’ll show you!” He reached for the pendant under his clothes and took it out. He stared at the jade pig pendant, his fingers went over the heart carved in the pig, it gave him the strength to do what needed to be done. He took another deep breath, he put his hands together, closed his eyes and began to repeat the heart sutra. He glowed as he repeated word for word. He heard the group gasp in shock as he glowed with the exception of Sandy who he heard clapping.

As he finished the sutra, he opened his eyes to stare at the imposter. The imposter froze, now it was Tang’s turn to smirk. “I am the great monk! **I am Tang Sanzang! I AM TRIPITAKA!** You will never be me! You are some pathetic demon in disguise,” he roared. “MK is a worthy successor despite what you say!” It felt amazing to yell like that. The demon lost control of their shape shifting and transformed back. He had also lost control of the air and fell to the ground with a thud, completely missing the pillow he had teleported in earlier. He started scooting away with his elbows. 

Tang stared at the demon who had been impersonating him for a week, he stared at their red eyes, their purple body, their horns and their fancy clothes. He gave them another smirk and raised his eyebrow. 

The demon shook and pointed at him. “But.. but you’re supposed to be in Heaven!”

“Yes… that is true but after a few hundred years, I decided to travel the earth. To see the sights.”

The demon stood up and bared his fangs. “Well isn’t this just perfect? The great monk in front of my eyes! I can eat you and gain immortality. This is amazing! I bet you’re tasty!”

The threat didn’t faze Tang and he turned his attention to MK. “MK, please take care of this.” He gave the boy a smile.

MK gazed at him with eyes widened. “O… okay…” He glanced at the imposter and gulped.

Tang patted him on the back. “You can do this.”

MK nodded and went to fight the demon. As the fight started, Tang was, for once, hoping the demon would get killed in the process so they wouldn’t have a chance to tell any other demons. He would be terrified if word went out to the Demon Bull family. The fight was an amazing sight, MK handled the fight with such passion and skill, he was truly worthy.

He secretly prayed to the merciful Guanyin and played with the silver necklace. It seems as if she didn’t answer it since the demon ran away. Thoughts raced through his head on what that might mean. He was cut from his thoughts by Wujing placing a hand on his shoulder. He gazed at Wujing who asked “You okay, master?”

Tang smiled. “Yes, Wujing. I’m-”

“WUJING?” They heard MK yell. He couldn’t bear to look at MK or the others. “So Tang is Tripitaka and Sandy is Sha Wujing? You… you hid this?”

He definitely couldn’t face them. Fuck, what were they going to say? Would they accept them? How was he supposed to explain why he didn’t do anything? He should have protected them from this yet he didn't so he grabbed Sandy’s arm and did the only thing he could, he ran. Like the coward he was, he ran. He couldn’t bring himself to look back. Even when Sandy told him to stop, he kept going. Tang didn’t know where he was taking them, but he knew he had to get out of there. He knew he had broken their trust. He knew he broke his family again so he ran to wherever he could, it was better this way. It was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact which might be brought up later in the story, Tripitaka and Wukong are often described as gods of protection which I found cool ;3. I really hope you liked this chapter!


	4. Beautiful Dream and Persuading

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tang had dragged Sandy into a hotel where they had been holed up for a week. He received voicemails and messages from the others but he ignored them all. He was worried about many things, one being when that demon spreads the word on his location, ugh, what if the Demon Bull Family finds out? The Buddhist would be toast, he probably tasted like toast, who knows what would happen? And Wukong... Wukong would surely find out... yea, he had no idea what he was doing. He wondered what Bajie would have done if he was in this situation, but it was no use thinking about the ghosts of the past. Tang had messed up and he wasn't going back, no matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I hope you enjoy this one! There's a romantic moment between Bajie and Tang as well some angst. I promised a chapter of this fic and "His Lost Master," which should be posted later today so stay tuned! Enjoy the fic!

A full week had passed since the stupid mo- I mean Tang had run away from the group in an act of cowardice. He knew they would never forgive him for this, he had kept such a huge secret from them and let MK get pushed around by that demon. And he was supposed to be a deity of protection, what was wrong with him?! He couldn’t even protect his own family nor himself for when that demon inevitably spreads the word. 

He sighed and repeated what happened inside his head. After he had run away and dragged Sandy along with him, he had found a hotel for them to stay at and checked in. In the spur of the moment he had no time to grab any of his belongings but at least he had all he needed, his wallet, a spare charger, and his phone. Tang felt bad for his third disciple, after checking in, he had apologized to Sandy profusely about forcing him to go with him. The demon understood his master’s impulsiveness (which Sandy joked was the same thing he used to scold Wukong for) but tried to get him to return to the group. Tang convinced him that they would return soon, Sandy knew that was a big, fat lie but said nothing.

Currently, Sandy was out of the hotel to feed his cats in secret with Tang giving the usual warning of “be careful and don’t get caught!” Tang was now completely alone, he heard his phone buzz. Not again, he thought. Since the event, he had received numerous calls and messages from the others, he let the calls go straight to voicemail and hardly looked at the messages. He even had to call his work to let them know he was taking time off, he couldn’t risk bumping into them.

“I just have to ignore it….” he fretted and covered his ears. Then finally the buzzing died down. He placed his hands on his face and sighed. “What am I doing?” He asked no one in particular. The monk fell back on his soft and plush bed and sighed. He observed the room, his eyes glazed over the red curtains, the light blue walls, Sandy’s bed, the television, the white carpet then his eyes landed on his phone. He picked up his phone and stared at it, seeing that the voicemail was from MK, he put it down and sighed again. “Maybe I should go back…” Tang shook his head. “No… I can’t… I lied to them. I haven’t answered them… I can’t go back…” His voice cracked as he spoke and fiddled with that same silver necklace, observing the jade pig pendant. “What would you have done, my Bajie?” No answer. “Look at me… trying to talk to ghosts of the past. I should try and take a nap.” He closed his eyes, hoping to drift off to sleep.

As Tang kept his eyes closed, a pig in ancient clothing appeared in his room. The pig was almost like a ghost, his form was almost completely seen through. He glanced at his master with happiness in his eyes. He approached the bed and his hand hovered over his master’s form before he retracted it. Bajie coughed and softly spoke “Master, I need to talk to you.”

Tang did a dismissive hand gesture. “Go away. I don’t want room service,” he replied with mild annoyance.

Bajie pinched the bridge of his snout and shook his master. “Master!”

Gods, whoever it was was annoying Tang. Wait but they couldn’t just barge into his room like that! He stood up rapidly and opened his eyes. “Ugh, what do you-” he noticed Bajie’s faded form and his mouth hung open.

Bajie rubbed the back of his neck. “Uhhh… hi master.”

Tang burst into tears as he lurched forward to hug Bajie. “BAJIE! I… I… is this… am I dreaming?” He asked. He observed the pig and gazed into his beautiful blue eyes.

Bajie paused. “...Yes… you are dreamin’...” The pig wrapped his arms around his master hesitantly.

“I see…. of course I am…” he hugged Bajie tighter. “I know this isn’t the real you but… I miss you… I miss you so much. I’m so sorry. For everything and I… I’m a terrible master. I… I…”

Bajie wiped his master’s tears away. “You are not a horrible master. It’s that damn monkey’s fault. He disappeared on us. And… I left you. I’m sorry.”

“But I…” his voice cracked. “I never checked on any of you after that! I holed myself up in my room and you had to take care of me! I should have taken care of you. I let you pick up the pieces while I was too selfish to do anything. It’s not your fault at all! You left because I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t be a good master.”

The pig gave a mix between a smile and a frown. “My dear master, so sweet, so compassionate, always takin’ the blame for others faults,” he commented and that made Tang turn a little red. “None of what happened is your fault. You’re an excellent master. Ya… tried your best. I left ya and left that note…” 

His master stared at the carpet. “Yes… you did. I… it still wasn’t your fault. I should have done something. I was selfish, if I wasn’t then maybe our family wouldn’t be so broken.”

Bajie huffed and jerked his master’s face up to gaze into his eyes. Bajie furrowed his eyebrows and hissed “Hey! Do not call yourself selfish! You are really compassionate! Ya helped us seek redemption! Ya got the scriptures without thinkin’ of turnin’ back! That’s not selfish! I don’t want to fuckin’ hear ya call yourself selfish again! Ya hear me?”

His master let out a half hearted chuckle as more tears continued to appear. “Oh, my Bajie. This is some interesting dream I’m having…” He cupped his disciple’s face with one hand and his thumb ran over Bajie’s cheek. “I understand, my Bajie and I appreciate you trying to make me feel better. But it’s true…” he smiled and kissed his love on the cheek.

Wuneng blushed but maintained a scowl. “No it isn’t!”

“Yes it is! I forced Sandy to come here, I dragged him away from the others. I… I lied to MK, to them all and watched that demon play with MK! All to hide my identity. I’m… I’m selfish, no matter which way you look at it!”

His disciple let out a sigh. “You are not selfish. Ya were just bein’ cautious. This is why I came here. My master, what are you doin’ hidin’ in a hotel of all places? Ya have a home to go back to. Ya need to go back.”

“I told you…. I can’t. I can’t go back no matter how much I want to. I messed up. They would never accept me.” 

“Yes they will!”

“No they won’t! I ran away like a coward!”

“That reminds me of somethin’ I would do and not somethin’ you would do,” Wuneng pointed out.

Tang giggled. “I guess so…” the giggle was quickly replaced by a frown. “But I can’t go back. No matter how much I wish.” He couldn’t go back, not now, not ever. They would turn him away, hiding away from them was better than the conversation that would ensue then the bitter rejection. 

“Master…” Bajie sighed again. He loved his master so dearly but oh boy, was he stubborn and oblivious. If his master paid attention then he would realize it was him, actually him, not some dream him. Although his master admitted to having dreams of him and that made Bajie feel giddy, but now was not the time. The sight of his love sobbing and upset hurt him so deeply inside, he wanted to kiss him on the lips and let him know it would be okay yet he knew he couldn’t. Even as he repeated that thought he found himself leaning into his master and kissing his tears away. The taste was salty and it wasn’t his lips but it was something at least. Bajie’s sudden action made him suck a breath in while waiting for his master to comment. “Uhhhh, master… I… I….”

The scholar giggled and wiped the remnants of his tears. His master’s face was incredibly red and fuck, he was gorgeous, perfect. If he had all the time in the world then he would stay there, gazing at his gorgeous master but it’s not what he came to do, he needed his master to go back and he was still waiting for a response. Finally, Tang commented “You’re sweet, my Wuneng. Dream you or not, you’ve always been so good to me, even with the whole ‘I’m trying to find ways to get out of this journey without anyone knowing’ thing.” He smirked and Wuneng scoffed. His master planted another kiss on him near his mouth. 

Bajie made a surprised yet satisfied noise as his master kissed him. Too bad it wasn’t directly his mouth, but good enough. He purred and momentarily forgot what he was supposed to do. He nuzzled his master somewhat aggressively and curled his arms around his love, he had no business being this adorable. His snout was pressed up against his master’s shoulder. “You’re beautiful…” he said flustered and gave him a smooch on the shoulder. He gave him another kiss on his neck.

“And you’re extremely handsome, I didn’t expect you of all people to get flustered over one little kiss,” he teased. “What happened to being the expert on love?”

“Sh-shush. I… I’m still the expert on love! And we’re gettin’ off topic. Don’t think your cuteness can distract me.” He gazed into master’s eyes. “Now back to it. Ya need to go back.”

“I can’t. I told you.”

Bajie snarled. “Can’t or won’t?”

“Can’t.”

“Ugh, so stubborn…” Bajie slid a hand across his own face. “I think you’re scared!”

“Tch, really, what made it obvious?” Tang rolled his eyes.

“Master… ya need to go back. Back to ou- your kids, back to that noodle shop. Please, master. Go back,” there was clear desperation in the pig’s voice.

Tang paused and thought of what Bajie said. His kids, he did consider MK and Mei his kids, he never told them that but it was true. He couldn’t even protect them, couldn’t protect Xiaotian. He was an awful parent, they didn’t need him in their lives. He rubbed his temples then his next thought shifted to Pigsy and the similarities hit him again. They had similar features and despite the fact his Bajie was well… a little afraid at times where Pigsy was more willing to fight it, they were so similar and that hurt the scholar. Pigsy was out in the real world while he could only see Bajie in his dreams. A part of him wanted to keep dreaming, to avoid the others and keep his Bajie. He sobbed again. “I can’t! Don’t you see?! He is no- they would never accept me! I want to stay here with you!” He clutched Bajie’s clothes as he continued to cry. Bajie was relieved that no one had noticed his master’s crying except him, he wouldn’t want his master to get kicked out. 

He stared at the scholar with worry. Did his master really care about him that much? So much that he wanted to stay in this “dream.” No, no, his master was probably just feeling guilty. Feeling guilty for not helping his disciples when he had the chance when that stupid monkey disappeared. After all, he was in love with that monkey, it’s why his master stayed locked up in his room. And the kisses his master gave him meant nothing, the monkey was always first in his master’s heart, he saved their master all the time while Bajie always got them in trouble. His master didn’t love him, didn’t need him. He felt an ache in his heart, both at his thoughts and his master’s tears. He felt tears building up but he refused to let them flow. Bajie decided to calm his master by caressing him and letting his lips graze over his master’s neck. He thought a bit of affection would soothe his master even though Tang loved Wukong, he wanted to keep kissing his master. He would never be so bad as to kiss his master on the lips when he wasn’t aware that this wasn’t a dream. “Master, ya have to go back. Ya can’t stay here, not in this hotel and not in this dream. No matter what, ya need to go back. It’s only right.” 

“I… I… ca…” he sniffled, words caught in his throat. 

Wuneng gave him a peck on the forehead. “Yes, you can. You’re strong, master. You’ve always been strong. No matter what happens, ya need to go to them, it’s right and you’ve always taught us to do what’s right.”

“But… I…”

“No buts,” he lightly scolded. “Please. Ya need to face them, ya need to do what’s right. Like ya always taught us. Isn’t that your way?”

“I guess I am a horrible Buddhist then…. I can not even follow those simple lessons…”

“You are not horrible! Please…. promise me you will go back. Make things right. Do what ya taught us. Let ou- your kid know he is worthy to be that idiot’s successor. Tell ‘im that he’s better than that monkey will ever be. Right the wrongs, please… if ya can’t do it for yourself, do it for him…”

Tang swallowed and bit his lip. “He is better off without me…”

“Are ya really gonna let that kid think his idol hates him?”

“Wukong is his idol.”

“Ya are too! You’ve heard the way he speaks of the great monk. Ya ran away from him, from them, don’t let him think you resent him or that he’s not worthy. Please go back.”

Tang closed his eyes and thought to himself. Maybe… he didn’t want Xiaotian to think he hated him but he didn’t want to be hated by the boy either and the kid would hate him. Yet Bajie had a point. He always told his disciples to own up to their mistakes. “Maybe…”

“No maybe. Master, promise you’ll go back. Please…”

The scholar opened his eyes and studied Bajie’s eyes. This dream Bajie was convincing him alot to go back. He used to teach his disciples the meaning of redemption, to correct their mistakes and he couldn’t even follow it. Tang took deep breaths. He was right and eventually he needed to go back for Xiaotian. “Okay…. I promise I will go back. Maybe not right now but I promise I will go back.”

Bajie let out a breath of relief. “Thank you. As long you promised.”

Tang hummed. “What if I break that promise then?” He joked.

“Then I come back to haunt ya.”

It was another joke but it made Tang tense up. He nervously chuckled and replied, “Well then I won’t break it.”

The pig kissed his hand then left a trail of kisses down his neck. “What? Don’t enjoy havin’ me here?”

Tang made a satisfied noise and placed a hand on the back of Bajie’s neck. “Of course I do,” he commented rather flustered. “If you’re going to kiss my neck like that, at least take me out to dinner first.” This dream Bajie was charming, just like the real Bajie.

“Maybe I will one day,” he purred, “but I’ll settle on this. You have changed so much.”

“Yes, I have and you’re so crude, won’t even take me to dinner yet you’re already moving past the first step.” He giggled and continued to let Bajie kiss his neck, it was soft, sweet and the hairs on Bajie’s face were tickling him.

“Part of my nature.” Wuneng beamed and kissed his master’s forehead. “Glad I could persuade ya to go back.”

Tang paused. “I am too… I guess. It is only a dream but I guess I will go back when I wake up… eventually.”

“Master…” 

“What?”

“Nothin’.” He placed another kiss on his master’s neck then his shoulder. He buried his face in the crook of Tang’s neck.

“Okay…” he ran a hand over Wuneng’s clothing. “The bed would be more comfortable than just standing here,” he suggested.

“Wh-what?” Wuneng stuttered.

“Not like that, obviously.” His lips curled up to form a smirk. “It would be more comfortable and to give our feet a rest even though it is a dream.” Bajie hummed in agreement, holding back the… inappropriate thoughts that plagued his mind. Tang led him to the bed and put a hand on the pig’s shoulder and used it to lower him to sit on the bed. Once the pig sat down, Tang got on his lap and cupped Bajie’s face.

“Um… uhhhh….” the demon stammered, his face being even more pink than it usually was. His master was on his lap….  **His master** was on  **his** lap. He held back a squeal. It didn’t mean anything, his master was just being friendly, yea that was it! Tang loved Wukong, not him. It was obvious from the way they looked at each other. His master would gaze at Wukong with so much passion and love, he had never looked at Bajie like that. The monkey saved Tang countless times, of course Tang was in love with him. Why could he never be number one in his master’s heart?

Tang tilted his head. “I can get off if I am making you uncomfortable.” 

As he was about to get off, Bajie grabbed him by the waist and sat him back down. He let out a slight gasp. “No! It isn’t making me uncomfortable at all. I… like havin’ ya on my lap.” It took him a second to realize what he had just said. “I…. I MEAN!” 

His master laughed. “I know what you mean.” He readjusted himself to get more comfortable. “I like it, you make a comfortable seat.”

“Hahaha, very funny.” He nuzzled his master.

“I know I’m hilarious,” he joked and lifted Bajie’s face briefly to kiss his cheek then settled on peppering kisses all over his face.

Bajie purred and his pupils dilated. “So different than how ya used to be. I remember when a hug was all it took to make ya flustered.”

“Hey!” He smacked Bajie’s arm. “A hug never made me flustered!”

The pig barked out a laugh. “Sureeee….” Tang huffed, it was only Bajie’s hugs that made him blush, no one else's. The pig kissed his collarbone then his hand.

Tang smooched his nose. They sat there admiring each other, Tang’s hands grazed over the pig’s face while Wuneng moved his arms up and down his master’s waist. It was beautiful and peaceful, they both wanted this so badly. They wanted to have each other, love each other for all eternity yet they knew they couldn’t, to Tang, this was only a beautiful dream and to Bajie, he knew he couldn’t tell his master the truth, his master didn’t deserve to have this old shit buried up again and his master didn’t need him anyway. He seemed to be doing just fine without him. Aside from the imposter, Tang seemed like he was enjoying his life. He seemed happy with their kids and… his reincarnation. His reincarnation was something… stronger, better than him definitely but rude towards his master. If his master wanted to steal a bowl of noodles then he could steal a bowl of noodles! It was surprising his reincarnation chose to open a noodle shop but it made sense, he had always loved food rather he was cooking or eating it. It was extremely lucky his master had found his reincarnation but he would never tell him. Tang didn’t need him and his reincarnation didn’t need to remember what a disappointment he was in his previous life.

“I miss you,” Tang muttered and rested his head on Bajie’s shoulder.

His master snapped him out of his thoughts. “Huh? Oh… I… I miss you too.”

“When you left, I… I never knew what to do. I tried to search for you… but I could never find you.”

Bajie hummed. “Maybe it’s better that way…”

Tang glared. “No it isn’t! I miss you and having a dream like this pains me. I want to be able to touch and see the real you.”

“Trust me, master, ya don’t want that.”

“And why not?!” He shouted.

“Because ya don’t need me!” He yelled back.

“Yes I do!”

“Why? What have I done that is worth needin’ me?”

“Everything. I don’t just need you, I want you around.”

“Why?” The pig asked again.

“Because you’re you. You’re sweet, kind. You did everything for me when Wukong went missing.”

“It didn’t work, you were still upset. I couldn’t do enough to help you.”

“You tried, I was just too broken to listen, it was not your fault.”

“But… I should have tried harder,” Bajie’s voice cracked.

“You tried your best. I failed you.”

“You didn’t fail us! Wukong failed us when he left.”

“He didn’t fail us. I wonder why he left…”

“‘Cause he’s selfish and yet you still… let’s just not talk about this anymore.”

Tang raised his eyebrow. “Okay….”

“Master, you’re about to wake up soon… you should close your eyes for a bit then you’ll wake up.”

“I don’t want to wake up so soon,” he mumbled.

“Ya have to.”

Tang thought to himself and played with the silver chain. “If you say so, my Bajie.”

Bajie’s eyes widened and he stared at the necklace. “Ya… ya kept it.”

“Hm?” He looked at the necklace and smiled. “Of course I did. It was from you after all.” He kissed the pig’s snout.

Bajie touched the chain then the pig pendant. His eyes sparkled and a grin appeared on his face. He leaned into his master and placed a kiss near his master’s mouth then placed more kisses on his master’s cheek, forehead, neck, all over. He was brimming with happiness. His master had kept the necklace!

“You’re tickling me!” He giggled as he let Bajie kiss him. 

“Good.” Wuneng smirked. His master’s eyes were a little red from crying and his glasses, gods he looked beautiful with glasses, had tear marks on them but he was perfect. Wuneng purred and purred louder as Tang scratched his ears and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“Look at you, why would I want to wake up at this rate? I know I have to…”

The pig stopped purring. “Master... I’ll always be with ya, just remember to keep your promise.”

“I know, but it’s difficult for me to accept you’re gone and…” he sobbed. “And I’m still here. I wish it was reversed.”

“I don’t, I’d rather have me gone than you gone.”

“It’s the opposite for me…”

Bajie left a peck on his master’s forehead. “Just close your eyes.”

Tang nodded hesitantly and got off Bajie’s lap. He went under the covers and turned to the pig’s faded form. “My Bajie….”

Bajie left another kiss on his forehead. “Yours, always yours,” he exclaimed. He took Tang’s glasses off his face and placed it on the bedside table. His shoulders drooped and he shook his head. “Ya don’t need me… you’re better off without me…” He staggered a few steps from his master’s bed and seemingly disappeared.

“Bajie…” Tang reached his hands towards his direction but his eyelids grew heavy and he fell asleep for real.

* * *

Tang wandered the busy streets of this beautiful city. He observed the area, trying to find a good restaurant. He had only gone out one time since he ran away and that was to get them groceries. He bought some snacks and instant noodles, the instant noodles were disgusting, there was no passion to them, it was just adding hot water, that was it, how could people eat those things? He needed real food. Pigsy’s noodles would always be the best and he missed them. He promised dream Bajie that he would go back but it was going to take time.

Unknown to him, eyes were following his form from the shadows. The eyes disappeared and from the shadows emerged a fly. The fly buzzed and followed the Buddhist.

Minutes went by as the Buddhist searched for a place with vegetarian options to eat. He was getting annoyed, nothing looked satisfying enough. He stopped walking and sighed. “I don't know what to look for.”

At the Buddhist’s pause, the fly went into an alleyway and out stepped the Monkey King. His eyes scanned his master, he gulped and slowly approached him. Should he hug him or should he say something first? What should he do? When MK told him that his master was Tang, the same guy that MK learned all his stories from, he thought it was a joke but he knew his kid was not the type to joke about this. 

Tripitaka had been around this whole time down on Earth and he never said a word, which to be fair Wukong hadn’t said a word either when he left, but it wasn’t like his master. His master didn’t seem fazed by the bustling streets and from what MK told him, his master had told the kid really old stories, almost like he had been there so his master must have been here for awhile. Why wasn’t he up on Heaven? He should be performing whatever Buddhist duties he had up there but instead, he was on Earth. Did Heaven kick him out? The monkey king growled, he would kick their asses again if they kicked his master out. Tripitaka was better than all of them combined. Ugh, there were too many questions and not enough answers. He needed to confront his master  **now.**

Wukong crept closer. His heart thumped as he took each step. Why was he so nervous? He was supposed to be the brave and courageous monkey king. How would his master react? Would he punch him? Would he run away out of hatred? The possibilities scared him, his master’s back was turned to him and Wukong found himself giving his master a light tap on the shoulder. The monkey held his breath in. 

His master spun around and stared at him with widened eyes. Sweat appeared on the king’s face. It was as if time stood still, they kept their eyes locked onto each other.

“Wu- Wukong?” Tang managed to stutter out. “Am I dreaming again?”

“No,” Wukong replied and gave him a smile. “It’s really me, master.”

“WUKONG!” Tang yelled, tears ran down his cheek.

“MASTER!” They lunged towards each other, wrapping each other in a hug, ignoring the stares they were getting from any passersby.

“I can’t believe it. You’re actually here…” He sniffled.

Wukong patted his master’s back. “Yes, yes I am,” he whispered softly. He felt tears roll down his back. 

“How… How did you find me? I can’t believe you’re really here, I haven’t seen you in so long.”

Wukong separated from his master and kowtowed to him. “With my powers, obviously. I heard from the kid about the whole situation, master and I made it my duty to find you.”

Tang smiled. “You do not have to kowtow to me. I’m glad you found me.” He looked around the streets, finally noticing the weird looks they were getting. “Maybe this is not the appropriate place to have this conversation.”

Wukong nodded and stood up. “It is out of respect, master. I remember when I used to do it all the time. Where should we go then?”

“To my hotel room, follow me.” He gestured for his disciple to follow him as he walked towards the hotel, his disciple was close behind him. 

As they made their way to the hotel, they didn’t speak to one another, they had no idea how to start a conversation. It had been so long since they had seen each other, the stairs up to Tang’s floor had been tense, them waiting for Tang to open the room as he fumbled with his keys was tense, everything was tense.

Finally the door unlocked and they stepped inside. 

It was Wukong that spoke first. “Master, I’m sorry…. I… I left you and the others and then this happened…”

Tang’s lip quivered. “I thought you died.”

Wukong gulped, “Of course not. I would never. I could never leave you all completely.” He rubbed his arm.

“Why- why did you then?”

“I… it’s complicated, master.”

His master growled, his eyes hidden behind his shining glasses, “Wukong…”

Wukong gulped again. “It’s not important. I’m happy to see you again.”

“Me too…”

“When the kid told me that you were down on Earth I couldn’t believe it.”

Tang laughed. “When Xiaotian told me he obtained your staff, I could hardly believe it either.”

“Why are you here, master? Shouldn’t you be in Heaven?” He squinted his eyes. “Did they kick you out? I’ll kick their ass.”

“What? No, they didn’t kick me out.”

“Then why are you here?”

“I left willingly. I visit from time to time, but not as much as I used to.”

“Why?” The monkey asked.

The Buddhist looked down at the white carpet. “It was painful to stay, everyone kept speculating what happened to you and the Jade Emperor felt like you were plotting something. I locked myself in my room for a while to try and forget it all but…” he dragged his feet across the carpet. “...it was too much, everything was a painful reminder of you.”

The monkey clenched his fists. He wanted to beat himself up, he didn’t realize how much his disappearance would cause his master so much pain. He hugged his master tightly. “I didn’t.... I’m sorry, master.”

Tang hesitantly hugged back. “It’s… it’s okay,” he whispered. “Just… Just don’t disappear like that again, please,” the Buddhist begged, his voice raspy. “Promise me you won’t ever disappear like that again.”

Wukong nodded and bowed. “Yes, master. I promise I won’t ever disappear like that again.”

“Thank you. You don’t have to call me master, you know. You can just call me Tang.”

Wukong chuckled. “You are still my master no matter what so I’ll call you master but I’ll keep that in mind.”

Sanzang rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say. Did you ever find that imposter?”

Wukong shook his head and replied, “No, master. I was too busy trying to find you.”

Sanzang shuddered. “It’s fine…”

The monkey got up and stared into his master’s eyes. “Master, if that demon tries to attack you then I or the kid can defeat him.”

“It is not the imposter I’m only worried about, what if word gets out?”

The monkey hummed. “I wouldn’t worry about that part then. Demons like to keep the important info to themselves, I would know.”

“Okay… I believe you.”

His disciple smiled. “You look so different. I didn’t recognize you when I was first observing the kid.”

“I guess I do. I change my appearance every now and then to blend in better. It makes things so much easier.”

“Seems like it. From what I heard, you’ve told the kid a lot of stories about me. I’m flattered really,” he gave his master an enigmatic smile. “He misses you.”

Tang giggled. “Not just about you but sure, we’ll go with that. I… I miss him too. When I began telling him our adventures, I didn’t expect him to be your successor.”

“Well I saw potential in the kid and he has a good heart, reminds me of you in that aspect. Kid can be hard to train at points, he’s too energetic and impulsive for his own good.”

Tang beamed. “HA! Where have I heard that before? I remember when I used to deal with three impulsive disciples myself, well the monkey was mostly the impulsive one.” Tang placed a hand on his hip.

“Hey!” Wukong made various offended noises. “I wasn’t that impulsive!”

Tang punched him lightly on the shoulder. “Oh you most certainly were. It was like dealing with children, but that might be an insult to children. I felt like a babysitter half the time.”

Wukong huffed. “I could say the same with you. I had to watch over all of you. I had to defeat every single demon while you were all resting in some cave.”

“Hey! I was terrified most of the time and please, you enjoyed fighting all those demons.” He gave his disciple a mock glare.

“Doesn’t mean it was easy.” They both glared at each other then laughed. It had been so long since they had a normal conversation, it was like a void was filled in their chests.

“I am so proud of you. You have changed a lot from the annoyed and impulsive trickster I used to know. I remember when I had to force you to help at first. Now here you are, retired and training MK to be your successor. He’s going to become as great as you are.”

Wukong held back tears. “Thank you, master. It was all because of you. I wouldn’t be where I am without your guidance. I’ll train the kid to be the best he can be, he’ll be great, not as great as me, of course because I’m the greatest, but great enough.”

Tang scoffed. “Typical Wukong. You have done so well.”

“Thank you, master. I tried and all thanks to you, because of you I am no longer trapped under that mountain nor do I have the thought of revenge coursing through my veins.”

“I’m glad I could help you seek redemption. I always knew you were meant to change, you just needed a push.”

“More like a shove with that crown thing. And you’ve changed as well, master. You appear the same but there’s something different about you and I’m not just talking about your appearance.” 

“Well I guess I have changed, time does change people.”

“It certainly does, you seem more willing to joke or something…”

Tang hummed. “I suppose so.”

“It’s not bad or anything! Just different!”

“I believe you.” He smiled at his disciple. They heard the hotel room door open and they both stared in the direction of the door. “Looks like Wujing is finally back.”

“Master!” Sandy yelled. “I’m back!”

“Oh shit…” Wukong muttered, he wrung his hands.

Tang patted his back. “It will be okay,” he whispered. “Glad to see you back, Wujing! I have someone I need you to see!”

Sandy stepped inside the room with Mo. “Really, who is it, master?” He gazed at his master, noticing the monkey beside him. “Big… big brother?”

Wukong waved. “Hey….” He grinned. “It’s nice to see you again.”

Sandy’s eyes sparkled, he lifted his brother up and squeezed him. “BIG BROTHER! It’s been too long! I missed you!”

The monkey laughed and hugged him back. “I missed you too! You’ve really grown.”

“Yes I have! I did what master taught us to! I’m better at controlling my anger! I got Mo here to help me.” Mo meowed and hopped on Sandy’s shoulder. Wukong let Mo sniff him and gave him a pat on the head. Mo purred in response.

“Really? Wow! You’ve done so well!”

“Yep! It wasn’t easy after… well you know…”

Wukong gulped and nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for, big brother,” Sandy reassured.

“Yes there is! I’m sorry for disappearing like that. I promise not to do it again.”

“Big brother….”

Tang spoke up. “What matters is you are here now.”

Sandy agreed with “Master is right! We’re happy that you’re here with us!”

“Thank you,” he said softly. He motioned for Sandy to put him down, Sandy complied and gently let his brother down. “This is one hell of a reunion. All we need is Zhu Bajie and we’re set! Where is that grumpy pig anyway? You would think he’d be right beside master the entire time, vying for his attention. So where is he?”

Sandy and Tang exchanged nervous glances. Tang shakily held the pig pendant. The room felt tense again. The two didn’t know what to say. Wukong noticed the worried looks on their faces. “Well… as you see, big brother, umm….”

Wukong gasped. “What happened to Bajie? Master, Sandy, what happened to Pigsy?”

Tang looked away and sobbed, this brought back too many memories and the dream from earlier didn’t help him. “I…. Bajie is….”

Sandy patted his master’s back. “Well big brother Bajie is… he’s gone…”

The monkey’s eyebrows creased. “Gone? What do you mean gone?” He glanced at Tang. “Master….”

Tang tried desperately to wipe his tears away, he was gasping. “Bajie… Bajie…”

Sandy shushed him and continued rubbing circles on his master’s back. “I’ll explain, master.” He turned to Wukong. “When you left, we were all… we didn’t know what to do, we thought you died… Bajie was the only one trying to help us feel better about the whole thing…”

Tang spoke up, “Then he…”

* * *

_ Years after Wukong’s disappearance _

_ Tripitaka was locked up in his room, sobbing as he always did since the disappearance of his first disciple. His eyes were red from so much crying. Nothing could coax him out of his room, well nobody except Bajie. Bajie was the only one that managed to take him out but that was rare. Tripitaka smiled briefly at the thought of Bajie. The pig was working hard to cheer him up, it couldn’t completely snap the Buddhist’s mind out of Wukong but it helped a lot. His Bajie was wonderful, always visiting him and doing his best to make him smile. He hadn’t even told Bajie how much he was helping him, he should thank him later. _

_ He wished he could do the same for them and reassure them. He had no idea what Sandy was doing as the fish visited less frequently than Wuneng did and that worried him. He had let them handle this whole thing on their own. They needed him but most of the time, he couldn’t bring himself to work up the effort to see them. His mind was too full of what had happened to Wukong. Why did he leave his staff like that? He loved that staff. Why did he just disappear? Couldn’t he have said something? Ugh, he was about to start sobbing again. _

_ Tripitaka picked up a letter that Bajie wrote to him. It was full of beautiful poetry, it made him feel warm and fuzzy inside. It had been around seven months since he had a visit from Bajie and two months since he was last sent a letter. He placed the letter and got up, something compelled him to leave his room. _

_ He walked out of his room which earned him stares from people that weren’t expecting to see him. He probably looked like a mess but he didn’t care, for once, he wanted to visit Bajie instead of the other way around. _

_ Tripitaka knocked on Bajie’s door. “Pigsy, it’s me! I’m… I’m here to visit!” He waited a few seconds and received no answer. Surely, Bajie wouldn’t mind if he stepped inside. Right? _

_ So that’s what he did, he walked inside the place and looked around. Hmmm, not here. Maybe Bajie was busy. Tripitaka noticed a letter on the table along with a necklace. Out of curiosity, he picked both up. The necklace was silver and had a green pig as the pendant, a heart carved into it. It was beautiful, he wondered where Bajie got it from. It must have been expensive. _

_ He examined the letter and let out a slight gasp. _

_ The letter read: _

_ ‘To whomever it concerns, whatever, _

_ I made the decision to reincarnate and leave this stupid life behind. I can’t take bein’ forced to pick up the pieces because of that damn monkey. So I quit! Not like anyone cares anyway, I already told someone my decision to leave.  _

_ I’m just tired of it all. Havin’ to do everythin’. I couldn’t cheer up my master, he misses that stupid monkey too much, I knew I could never compete with his favorite. All my efforts were fuckin’ useless! So I’m leavin’ to be happier. _

_ Master, if you’re reading’ this, I’m sorry. I can’t deal with it anymore, it’s not your fault, I just can’t deal with it. The pendant I left is for you, I want you to keep it to remember me, if ya want. I’m really sorry, you’re a great master but it’s too painful. Goodbye. _

_ From,  _

_ Zhu Bajie.” _

_ Tripitaka let the paper fall to the ground and fell on his knees. He covered his mouth to stop himself from making any noise. He sobbed quietly and stared at the pendant, his Bajie was gone and it was all his fault. _

* * *

Wukong fell down on the soft carpet, tears rolled down his cheeks and a broken look appeared on his face. “No… no… no…” he muttered over and over again. “He left because of me? I… I didn’t realize…”

“Wukong, it’s okay…” Tang reassured.

“NO!” The shouting made Tang and Sandy jump back. “It’s not okay…” the monkey trembled and his voice cracked as he wept. “You told me that all that matters is that I’m here now, you didn’t tell me Bajie reincarnated!”

“It’s not your fault, big brother.”

“Yes it is! It’s my fault! He wouldn’t even have reincarnated if I hadn’t left! I didn’t realize…”

“It is not your fault, Wukong. It is mine. I’m the reason he left. He left because taking care of me was too much, I never should have put that pressure on him. I should have taken care of him…. I was useless.” He swallowed with some difficulty. 

“Master… if I told you what I was doing in the first place then none of this would have happened…”

“You had your reasons,” Tang defended.

“They were selfish reasons!” The monkey stood and stomped his feet, his hands clenched up into a fist.

“They were still reasons! And I’m sure, they weren’t selfish at all! Because of me… because of my inability to take care of myself… he’s gone. He should be married to a gorgeous woman and with loads of children, like he always wanted...” That image made him fume for a second then his face morphed into a frown. “But no, he was stuck having to take care of his broken, idiotic master! I should have been helping him, helping all of you but I was too weak to do anything… and I ended up breaking our family because of my selfishness,” he cried and looked down to hide his eyes, his glasses covering any sight of sadness up.

“You are not idiotic! Maybe naive but not idiotic. You helped us plenty on the journey!  **I** was the one who left you without a word!”

“But I-”

“Enough!” Sandy’s shout made them both gasp and turn their attention towards him. “Wukong, master, it’s neither of your faults. Bajie just decided to reincarnate, that was his own decision….” he rubbed his arm. “No matter how much it hurt…”

They stayed there thinking. Tang fretted, “But he wouldn’t have done that if I hadn’t…”

“It’s no one’s fault so stop blaming yourselves,” Wujing begged.

Tang sighed. “I’m always going to blame myself, that won’t change so easily.”

Wukong swallowed. “Did… did you try searching for him?”

“Of course I did yet I could never find him so I gave up. It hurt to have hope only to lose it….”

The monkey nodded. “I see… have you tried recently? He could be out there… we should find him.”

“I’ve already tried. I tried for so long…”

“Still, he could be out there, somewhere.”

The Buddhist shook his head. “I doubt that. Even if we did find him, he’s probably happier now. Just like he wanted.”

“He was happiest when he was you…”

His master let out a laugh. “I doubt that… I'm the reason why he left, remember?”

Sandy growled, “Master….”

“I know, I shouldn’t blame myself or whatever…” He wiped his tears and began grabbing his charger and made sure he had his wallet and phone on him. “I don’t have time or energy to search for him anyway…”

The fish raised his eyebrow. “What are you doing, master?”

“Checking out, now let’s make sure we didn’t forget anything.”

“Where are we going?”

“Back to the noodle shop.”

The fish’s eyes sparkled. “WE’RE GOING BACK HOME?”

“Yes, yes we are.”

“What made you change your mind?”

“I thought about how wrong it would be to keep us here.”

“You hear that Mo? We’re going home!” Mo meowed happily in response.

Wukong placed a hand on his master’s shoulder. “We will find him, I promise. I will make up for everything I have done.”

Tang hummed. “There is nothing to make up for.”

“Yes there is, we will find him and we can be a family again.”

His master’s lips curled up slightly. “I hope one day that can be a reality.” 

“It will, I promise. I’ll try to find him as best I can.”

“I believe you.” He turned to walk towards the door of the hotel room. He readjusted his glasses. “No matter how much I want to find him, maybe it is best I leave him be. He doesn’t want me, if he has been reborn then maybe he is happier…” He whispered to himself.

“Master!”

“Yes?”

“May I accompany you? To check on the kid and ummm… you if it wouldn’t be too much of a bother.”

Tang giggled. “Of course, my disciple. I’m alright if Sandy is alright with it.”

Sandy agreed immediately. “Of course! It will be great, big brother!”

“Thank you.” He placed a hand on his master’s back and guided him out of the room, Sandy following eagerly behind them. The door closed and a pig appeared in the middle of the hotel room.

The pig growled. “Ugh, he’s back. Stupid monkey, why can’t he just stay away from master? Why can’t he just stop haunting us? He might win master’s heart again!” Bajie paused. “It will be like last time all over again…” He tried to lean on the bedside table but immediately fell through it. “UGH! STUPID GHOST FORM!” He settled himself upright and thought of his master. “At least he won’t know otherwise… he thought it was all a dream and I won’t let them find out the truth or find me. They’re better off without me… my master… so naive… that part hasn’t changed.” He thought of his master’s soft kisses and light touches. “I love you deeply but you’re better off without me. Be happy with Wukong, you two would be good for each other.” He winced, it pained him to say but he was observant enough to know how those two felt about each other. It hurt more with the fact that he was only talking to himself. “All I do is cause a mess.” And like that, he vanished, the three unaware that Bajie had been watching them the entire time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bajie is going to be in hard core denial about his master's true feelings. *punches Bajie in the shoulder* IF HE THOUGHT IT WAS A DREAM AND KISSED YOU EVEN IF IT WASN'T ON THE LIPS, YOU WOULD THINK HE LIKES YOU! *coughs* Anyway- Bajie is going try and prevent them from finding out the truth and from his reincarnation from remembering everything. Wow, I wonder what's going to happen when Tang goes back and how Pigsy will react or when Tang learns Bajie actually appeared, he'll think of him kissing Bajie before he gets mad. Hope you enjoyed this and the new chapter of "His Lost Master" should be posted later today!

**Author's Note:**

> WOOO, first chapter of the new year! Happy New Years everyone! Finally out of 2020! Hopefully you all had a safe and happy New Years so far! Hope you enjoyed the fanfic! (Edit: I have plans for what I'm going to in the third chapter which I hope you are going to love but the second chapter is going to be steady transition to what I'm planning >:))


End file.
